As if the Future Mattered

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.