As if the Future Mattered

the long version

Concern for the future, the issue that lies at the core of this book, has been displayed by human beings in many ways throughout history - but is more important today than ever. Among individuals, firms, and other institutions, however, there is a wide variance in how much their behavior indicates concern for the future: some act as though only concerned about tomorrow, at the furthest; others build (or refrain from destroying) as though concerned for perpetuity. We have just come through a decade in which prevailing beliefs about how economics and social systems work, and how they should work, were especially permissive toward notions of individualism tending toward narrow selfishness, while discouraging a focus on societal interests, including concern for the future. It is, therefore, especially relevant at this time to inquire what can be done, through changes in institutional arrangements and/or fashions of thought and perception, to support the future-regarding tendencies in human societies. The volume will be of interest to businesspeople, economists, environmentalists, political scientists, and ethicists.