Sullivan: Future Betrayal

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]You are right now betraying someone very important to you. You do it every day and you do so without thinking because according to the philosopher Megan Sullivan, you are betraying your future self. Sullivan argues that human beings are systematically and deeply irrational in how we think about time. We treat the present moment as more real, more important, and more morally significant than the future.

[00:00:23]We treat our future selves worse than we treat strangers because every time you drink too much or stay up too late, it is tomorrow you who has to pay the bill and tomorrow you is not here. Every time you binge or gorge or treat your body poorly, it is your future self who has to pay the costs. Sullivan argues that we rationalize all this in terms of mindfulness or being present in the now.

[00:00:44]But Sullivan thinks it is a cognitive distortion like any other bias like racism or sexism which discounts the interests of another based upon morally irrelevant factors. And in this case, the irrelevant factor is that they exist.

[00:00:58]The future version of you has exactly the same moral weight as the present version of you. They'll feel pain just as sharply. They'll feel pleasure and joy and happiness just as much.

[00:01:10]For Sullivan, every time you choose short-term comfort over long-term flourishing, you are not being spontaneous. You are not being carefree.

[00:01:17]You are looking your future self in the eye and you are saying you matter less than I do. And the worst thing about it is your future self isn't here to argue.