Challenging, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality,
morality, and personal identity, Derek Parfit claims that we have a false view about our own
nature. It is often rational to act against our own best interests, he argues, and most of us
have moral views that are self-defeating. We often act wrongly, although we know there will
be no one with serious grounds for complaint, and when we consider future generations it is
very hard to avoid conclusions that most of us will find very disturbing.