Project Description

Population and Ethics Colloquium, Cumberland Lodge, 25/09/2016

Abstract: Many, if not most, population ethicists abandon the Person-Affecting Restriction (PAR) in response to the Non-Identity Problem (NIDP). I argue we should instead hold onto the PAR and embrace the NIDP and advocate a version of the PAR called Strict Comparativism. In rough slogan it holds we ought to make people happy but are indifferent about making happy people (Narveson 1973). The view faces three difficulties: it gives unacceptable results in NIDP cases; fails to accounts for the intuition it’s wrong to create unhappy people; it generates intransitive results. I argue all three challenges can be met.

Talk notes: The-non-identity-non-problem