Procrastination is frequently the root cause of our failure to reach our objectives. But how exactly should procrastination be interpreted and dealt with? Although it has been characterized as foolish, irrational, inconsistent, and even immoral, there has been no serious philosophical debate on the subject.
The subject of procrastination is introduced into philosophical inquiry in this edited collection, which is the first of its kind. There is a strong emphasis on analyzing procrastination in the context of agency, rationality, and ethics—topics that philosophy is particularly well-suited to investigate. The development and use of theoretically and empirically informed analyses are undertaken to shed light on a challenging practical problem that causes much frustration, regret, and harm. The following are some of the most important questions addressed in the book: How can we study procrastination in a fair way to both its voluntary and self-defeating dimensions? What are the best methods of doing so? Procrastination is a type of practical failure, and it has many consequences. Is it a manifestation of a lack of willpower? Is it the result of a disjointed advertising agency? Is it considered a vice? What are the most promising coping mechanisms for procrastination, given the nature of the problem?