On Promises to Oneself
Suppose that, prima facie, it is morally wrong to break a promise, including promises made to oneself. Suppose also that a serious New Year’s Resolution — say, to cut back on one’s consumption of cookies, or to stop complaining so much, or to be friendlier to one’s colleagues — is a promise one makes to oneself.
It follows that it is morally wrong to break a serious New Year’s Resolution.Possible objection: promises to self are different from promises to others, since we are free to release ourselves from the promises we make to ourselves, but we are not free to release ourselves from the promises we make to others.
Question to consider: Are you free to release yourself from a promise you make to yourself, or are you morally bound by the promises you make to yourself?
If the latter, you would be wise to think carefully about the promises you make to yourself.