Columbia University

Michael Vassar has been analyzing the likely impacts of nanotechnology and other transformative changes for Futurist.com for three years. He lives in New York City where he divides his time between Columbia University and working with Internet-based startup businesses.

Neither Liberal, Conservative, nor Libertarian political philosophies usually give much explicit attention to the concept of willpower (entirely conceptually seperate from “free will”).  However, some examination shows that variation in how it is concieved of appears to be the basis for ideological conflicts between the partisans of different views.  Until matters of fact are clarified and resolved, they may appear to be conflicting values, and the appearent conflicts may appear irresolvable.  Not only that, the opposing partisans may appear insane.  In this presentation I will explain how conceptions of willpowe as abundant, limited, or muscle-like, e.g. limited but renewable and capable of being cultivated and increased, imply different policy proscriptions corresponding to political divides.  I will attempt to outline the necessary experiments that should enable us to determine how willpower actually works or to build better metaphors in its place, and will examine the impact of the appearently dominant views with respect to cognitive liberty.