Research

Justice in Preference Formation (manuscript available upon request)

A just society provides individuals with opportunities to reflect carefully on values and beliefs that guide important life-decisions. Being capable of reflecting carefully on values and beliefs is important, among other things, because it is a necessary condition for an authentic life. But why exactly is it valuable to live authentically? And what are the implications of a commitment to protecting individuals’ capacity for careful reflection? This article clarifies the values of authenticity and careful reflection and shows that a commitment to protecting individuals’ capacity for careful reflection has important policy implications that are often overlooked. It shows that protecting the fair values of basic liberties is not sufficient to enable careful reflection and discusses various policies that have the potential to promote a capacity for careful reflection.