Securing the Self

Abstract

We have seen how individuals are led to appreciate the importance of different elements of their credit identity and how these become articulated through a quantified score on a continuum of scores representing the whole field of consumers. They are also educated as to what their scaled scores denote as to their ability to govern themselves in using credit. But what is the purpose, the consequence of aligning individual consumers with their FICO scores? Within the contemporary credit market where the quality of access to credit is significantly determined through the use of actuarial FICO scoring, the ability to understand the significance and composition of one’s own score is presented as being critical. As individual freedom expresses itself through the ability to choose and the capacity to sustain or enhance consumer choice over time, one’s FICO score becomes a key technology setting and resetting the boundaries of that choice. Ultimately, self-governing consumers must take on the project of sustaining and optimizing themselves.