L.A. Paul
Laurie Ann Paul is an American philosopher known for work in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and decision theory, especially on transformative experiences. She is a professor at Yale University and the author of the book Transformative Experience, as well as co-author of Causation: A User’s Guide.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Transformative Experience
A philosophical exploration of life-altering decisions argues that some choices—such as becoming a parent, changing careers, or undergoing radical medical interventions—are both personally and epistemically transformative: they change who you are and can’t be fully understood in advance. Because you lack the relevant “what it’s like” knowledge and stable preferences beforehand, standard decision-theoretic approaches to rational choice break down. The work examines the limits of testimony and prediction about future selves and suggests alternative ways to decide under deep uncertainty, including valuing discovery, narrative considerations, and attitudes toward risk.
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