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Abstract |
Our universe is both chaotic and (most likely) infinite in space and time. But it is within this setting that we must make moral decisions. This presents problems. The first: due to our universe's chaotic nature, our actions often have long-lasting, unpredictable effects; and this means we typically cannot say which of two actions will turn out best in the long run. The second problem: due to the universe's infinite dimensions, and infinite population therein, we cannot compare outcomes by simply adding up their total moral values - those totals will typically be infinite or undefined. Each of these problems poses a threat to aggregative moral theories. But, for each, we have solutions: a proposal from Greaves let us overcome the problem of chaos, and proposals from the infinite aggregation literature let us overcome the problem of infinite value. But a further problem emerges. If our universe is both chaotic and infinite, those solutions no longer work - outcomes that are infinite and differ by chaotic effects are incomparable, even by those proposals. In this paper, I show that we can overcome this further problem. But, to do so, we must accept some peculiar implications about how aggregation works.
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Keywords | infinite value cluelessness chaos infinite utility streams aggregation |
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References found in this work BETA
Consequentialism and Cluelessness.James Lenman - 2000 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 29 (4):342-370.
Alienation, Consequentialism, and the Demands of Morality.Peter Railton - 1984 - In James Rachels (ed.), Ethical Theory 2: Theories About How We Should Live. Oxford University Press.
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Citations of this work BETA
Infinite Aggregation and Risk.Hayden Wilkinson - forthcoming - Australasian Journal of Philosophy:1-20.
Infinite aggregation: expanded addition.Hayden Wilkinson - 2020 - Philosophical Studies 178 (6):1917-1949.
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2020-11-18
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203 ( #56,879 of 2,505,771 )
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79 ( #9,903 of 2,505,771 )
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