Philosophical Studies 178 (6):1917-1949 (2020)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
How might we extend aggregative moral theories to compare infinite worlds? In particular, how might we extend them to compare worlds with infinite spatial volume, infinite temporal duration, and infinitely many morally valuable phenomena? When doing so, we face various impossibility results from the existing literature. For instance, the view we adopt can endorse the claim that worlds are made better if we increase the value in every region of space and time, or that they are made better if we increase the value obtained by every person. But they cannot endorse both claims, so we must choose. In this paper I show that, if we choose the latter, our view will face serious problems such as generating incomparability in many realistic cases. Opting instead to endorse the first claim, I articulate and defend a spatiotemporal, expansionist view of infinite aggregation. Spatiotemporal views such as this do face some difficulties, but I show that these can be overcome. With modification, they can provide plausible comparisons in cases that we care about most.
|
Keywords | infinite utility streams population ethics infinite value utilitarianism infinite ethics aggregation |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Reprint years | 2021 |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1007/s11098-020-01516-w |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
View all 31 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Infinite Aggregation and Risk.Hayden Wilkinson - forthcoming - Australasian Journal of Philosophy:1-20.
Similar books and articles
Utilitarianism and Infinite Utility.Peter Vallentyne - 1993 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 71 (2):212 – 217.
Transcending the Infinite Utility Debate.Tim Mulgan - 2002 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 80 (2):164 – 177.
The Problem of Endless Joy: Is Infinite Utility Too Much for Utilitarianism?M. T. Nelson & J. L. A. Garcia - 1994 - Utilitas 6 (2):183-192.
Infinite Chains and Antichains in Computable Partial Orderings.E. Herrmann - 2001 - Journal of Symbolic Logic 66 (2):923-934.
Impossibility Results for Infinite-Electorate Abstract Aggregation Rules.Frederik Herzberg & Daniel Eckert - 2012 - Journal of Philosophical Logic 41 (1):273-286.
Infinite Modes.Kristina Meshelski - 2015 - In Andre Santos Campos (ed.), Spinoza: Basic Concepts. Imprint Academic. pp. 43-54.
Aggregating Infinitely Many Probability Measures.Frederik Herzberg - 2015 - Theory and Decision 78 (2):319-337.
The Kalām Cosmological Argument and the Infinite God Objection.Jacobus Erasmus & Anné Hendrik Verhoef - 2015 - Sophia 54 (4):411-427.
Negative, Infinite, and Hotter Than Infinite Temperatures.Philip Ehrlich - 1982 - Synthese 50 (2):233 - 277.
Infinite Chains and Antichains in Computable Partial Orderings. E. Herrman - 2001 - Journal of Symbolic Logic 66 (2):923-934.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2020-08-10
Total views
79 ( #146,471 of 2,505,180 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
21 ( #42,000 of 2,505,180 )
2020-08-10
Total views
79 ( #146,471 of 2,505,180 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
21 ( #42,000 of 2,505,180 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads