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Resource-rational contractualism can also explain personal moral judgments.
Nisheeth Srivastava1, Arjun Mitra1, Ramya Mudumba1
1Department of Cognitive Science, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kalyanpur, Kanpur, UP, India nsrivast@iitk.ac.in arjmit@iitk.ac.in mudumba20@iitk.ac.in hariharan22@iitk.ac.in divyap@iitk.ac.in.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|June 24, 2026
Summary
This study extends resource rational contractualism to personal virtues by considering future selves. It proposes intra-individual contractualist explanations for developing personal virtues.
Area of Science:
- Moral Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Philosophy
Background:
- Levine et al. explained interpersonal moral judgments using resource rational contractualism.
- Existing theories may not fully capture the development of personal virtues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend resource rational contractualism to personal virtues.
- To propose theoretical explanations for personal virtues considering future selves.
- To formulate intra-individual contractualist explanations.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical extension of resource rational contractualism.
- Conceptual analysis of future selves and personal virtues.
- Formulation of intra-individual contractualist models.
Main Results:
- A framework for understanding personal virtues through an intra-individual contractualist lens.
- Demonstration of how considering future selves can inform virtue development.
- Proposed methods for formulating these intra-individual explanations.
Conclusions:
- Resource rational contractualism can be expanded to explain personal virtues.
- The ability to consider future selves is crucial for developing personal virtues.
- Intra-individual contractualist explanations offer a novel theoretical approach.
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