Abstract:  This talk will defend the thesis that facts about what we desire are (often) determined by pure acts of the will. Somewhat more concretely, I will argue that you can rationally prefer A to B even while knowing that A and B are equally valuable, and that you can rationally fail to prefer A to B even while knowing that A is more valuable than B. In these sorts of cases, your preferences (and thus your desires) are up to you to choose. I will then draw out some consequences of these claims for questions concerning the rationality of akrasia, the relationship between desire and expected utility, and the subject matter of decision theory.

** This will be offered as a hybrid event.  To attend via Zoom, please use this link: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/91995227469  **