IF lecture 6

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Questions and Answers

What is a key issue in normative economics as mentioned?

The rejection of utilitarian principles

The disregard for fairness and needs (correct)

The prevalence of risk assessment

The focus on individual rights only

What does the proposed approach to population ethics aim to include?

A historical perspective on population growth

A single standard of morality

The number of individuals' existence (correct)

Universal principles of justice

What does the term 'path dependence' in economics refer to?

The tendency to follow non-linear growth models

The transition from normative to positive economics

The emphasis on risk assessment in decision making

The impact of historical choices on future options (correct)

What aspect might the standard model of population ethics miss?

Key ingredients such as risk Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'population axiology' most likely relate to?

The evaluation of moral values concerning populations Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of population axiology?

Ethical questions surrounding the value of populations Signup and view all the answers

Which concept is closely related to population ethics?

Intergenerational equity Signup and view all the answers

What does intergenerational fairness primarily address?

Balance between current and future generations Signup and view all the answers

In the context of population ethics, what is a significant challenge?

Defining the ethical boundaries of population control Signup and view all the answers

Which area is likely to be influenced by discussions in population axiology?

Environmental sustainability and policies Signup and view all the answers

What type of proposal is commonly discussed within the framework of population ethics?

Models for equitable resource distribution Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of population ethics does Hilary Greaves address in her work?

Evaluating moral implications of population choices Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT typically a part of discussions on population axiology?

Mechanisms of enforced population control Signup and view all the answers

What is a main property of the fertilitarian social welfare function?

It generalizes discounted utilitarianism. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is considered a pro of fertilitarianism?

Time consistent. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of a constant population, fertilitarianism is equivalent to which of the following?

Discounted utilitarianism. Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the suggested areas for further exploration in fertilitarianism?

Non-additive criteria. Signup and view all the answers

How is the fertilitarian social welfare function characterized?

By its axiomatic formulation. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect does fertilitarianism prioritize over others?

Ordinal fertility preferences of parents. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'population axiology' refer to in this context?

The philosophical analysis of the value of population size. Signup and view all the answers

What criticism is directed at fertilitarianism?

It does not consider alternative criteria. Signup and view all the answers

What has been a common policy adopted by countries since 2016 regarding population?

Policies to raise, maintain, or lower the level of fertility Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant consideration in the population problem according to the content?

The tradeoff between quality and quantity of people Signup and view all the answers

In the context of social welfare functions, what is the expected outcome when given these functions?

Calculating the optimal policy Signup and view all the answers

Which vector of utilities is depicted as being more socially desirable according to the content?

U = (9, 9, 9) Signup and view all the answers

What underlying issue does the quality versus quantity debate in population ethics represent?

Ethical implications of population control Signup and view all the answers

What fundamental question does the content raise regarding the future population?

How to influence future population through policy? Signup and view all the answers

When discussing population axiology, what is primarily assessed?

The ethical and philosophical implications of population size Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of managing health safety is mentioned in relation to population ethics?

Investing in health safety measures proportionate to population growth Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea proposed regarding parental fertility choices?

Society ought to respect the fertility preferences of parents with certain provisos. Signup and view all the answers

What are the two key provisos mentioned in the proposal related to parental fertility choices?

No externalities and no unfair preferences. Signup and view all the answers

What unique feature does the suggested fertilitarian social welfare function possess?

It supports the fertility preferences without controversy. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between the suggested framework and discounted utilitarianism?

The framework generalizes discounted utilitarianism. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the proposed fertilitarian social welfare function?

It has a simple recursive formulation. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect does the author suggest should not influence parental fertility choices?

Personal beliefs and values. Signup and view all the answers

What implication does the author aim to avoid with the new framework?

Controversial implications of existing criteria. Signup and view all the answers

In terms of population axiology, what stance does the proposal take?

It supports varied family sizes based on personal preference. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary conclusion drawn about parents who are indifferent between having 1 or 2 children?

Parents should be encouraged to have 2 children. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of total utilitarianism, what does it suggest about creating more children?

Increasing the number of children is beneficial for social welfare. Signup and view all the answers

How does total utilitarianism view the well-being loss of parents when having more children?

It considers parents' happiness irrelevant if the additional child benefits society. Signup and view all the answers

What analogy is made in the comparison of God creating planets to parents generating children?

Both suggest an indifference to the number of creations for greater good. Signup and view all the answers

What would be a likely action in a society influenced by total utilitarianism regarding family size?

Incentivizing families to have additional children. Signup and view all the answers

What does the introduction of a critical level, $i (U_i - k)$, aim to illustrate in population ethics?

It extends total utilitarian conclusions to a broader ethical context. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant societal implication of the proposals discussed regarding population ethics?

An obligation for parents to maximize their offspring count. Signup and view all the answers

What notion does the text challenge regarding individual and social well-being?

That having more unhappy children is better than having few happy ones. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Intergenerational Fairness Lecture Notes

The lecture covered population axiology and population ethics, focusing on intergenerational fairness.
A lecture by Paolo G. Piacquadio, FGN-HSG, on October 25, 2024.
The lecture discussed population axiology by Hilary Greaves (2017).
The presentation included comments and discussion points.
The lecture examined the concept of a repugnant conclusion, arising from total utilitarianism in population ethics. This suggests that a world with many people barely living might be preferable to one with fewer people living highly fulfilling lives.
The lecture compared total utilitarianism and average utilitarianism and their implications for population size and quality of life.
Total utilitarianism predicts that adding people, even if they have a lower quality of life leads to better outcomes for society.
Average utilitarianism suggests that a single individual with high utility is preferable to a large group of people with low utility.
The lecture introduces the concept of 'fertilitarianism', a proposed social welfare function that respects parents' fertility preferences, while avoiding some problems inherent to traditional utilitarianism.
Keynes is quoted: economics is a science of thinking in terms of models, joined to the art of choosing models relevant to the contemporary world.
A distinction is made between universal domain, fertility preferences, and atemporal versus dynamic infinite horizon modelling of utilities and preferences.

Research Questions

The size of future populations is influenced by policy.
Globally, 85% of countries adopted fertility policies in 2016.
The lecture highlights questions about how to use policy to influence populations, in life/death situations, pandemics and health safety.
An economic perspective suggests using social welfare functions to calculate the optimal policy.

Quality vs Quantity

The relationship between population quality and quantity was discussed.
The problem is identified as needing to define a tradeoff between those two characteristics.

Quantity vs Quality

The idea of comparing vectors of utilities for different population sizes was introduced.
Two possible prominent welfare criteria were discussed:
- Total utilitarianism
- Average utilitarianism

Total Utilitarianism

A major concern is the repugnant conclusion, highlighting a potential flaw in maximizing simply total utility.
Total utilitarianism, in population ethics, is linked to the "mere addition principle," which suggests that adding people with a life worth living is beneficial for society.
Total utilitarianism was applied to both divine and parental actions to illustrate implications in population size.

Average Utilitarianism

Average utilitarianism assigns no value to the number of individuals.
This can lead to counter-intuitive conclusions, suggesting a preference for a world with fewer (very happy) people over a world with more (less happy).

My Suggestion

The lecture proposed respecting parents' preferences regarding the number of children to have.
The proposal suggests taking into account potentially affecting externalities (resources, climate, technology) and avoiding unfair preferences potentially harmful to children.

Main Result

The concept of a “fertilitarian social welfare function” was proposed.
This function respects the fertility preferences of parents
This proposed function avoids some controversial implications of current utilitarianism and is considered simpler.

Fertilitarianism: Properties

When population size is stable, fertilitarianism mirrors discounted utilitarianism.
Simple, intuitive, consistent with economic models are its main strengths.
Exploring non-additive criteria, however, might offer improvements.
Despite respecting fertility preferences, this approach is paternalistic; it might suggest societal interventions conflicting with the desires of parents for instance on consumption or reproduction choices.

Conclusion

Economics often faces impasses due to reliance on established models.
The standard approaches to population ethics often neglect the effect of the number of people.
This lecture proposed fertilitarianism, a new framework, to overcome these potential flaws.
More research could explore alternatives to the current approaches.
The presentation concluded with a thank you.

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Description

This lecture by Paolo G. Piacquadio explores the themes of population axiology and ethics, particularly focusing on intergenerational fairness. It contrasts total and average utilitarianism, discussing their implications for population quality of life. Engage with concepts such as the repugnant conclusion and the ethical considerations surrounding population size and well-being.