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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of the work by Tännsjö in 2002?

  • The concept of diminishing marginal value
  • The acceptance of the Repugnant Conclusion (correct)
  • Arguments against consequentialism
  • Intuitions on population axiology

    • What philosophical issue does Roberts address in his 2011 publication?

  • The nature of population ethics
  • The asymmetry in moral reasoning (correct)
  • Rethinking the principles of morality
  • The paradox related to person-affecting intuition

    • Which philosopher is known for analyzing the intuition of neutrality?

  • Qizilbash
  • Temkin
  • Pummer (correct)
  • Ross

    • What central theme is explored by Vallentyne in his 2009 paper?

    <p>Moral goodness in the context of Broome's theories</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who revisited the rejection of consequentialism in a publication in 1994?

    <p>Scheffler</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What principle suggests that adding an extra person does not necessarily make a situation better or worse?

    <p>Neutrality Principle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement best reflects the intuition many people have regarding creating additional people?

    <p>There are no moral reasons to create additional people, regardless of their potential happiness.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Mere Addition Principle imply about lives worth living?

    <p>More lives worth living are generally considered better.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Narveson, how do people feel about making happy people?

    <p>They support making people happy but are neutral about the creation of happy people.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of the Neutrality Principle as it relates to population axiology?

    <p>It only applies to individuals with zero well-being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which ethical theory may not support obligations to create additional persons?

    <p>Maximizing consequentialism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is suggested about the relationship between axiology and moral obligations?

    <p>Axiology informs moral obligations that are outcome-based.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do Totalism and Averagism assert regarding the Neutrality Principle?

    <p>They suggest neutrality occurs under specific conditions involving well-being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the formula used to calculate the comparative harm experienced by a person x in a state of affairs Ai?

    <p>$CH(x, Ai) = max_j(w_j(x) - w_i(x))$</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the harm-minimisation theory prioritize when comparing different states of affairs?

    <p>Minimizing total comparative harm for all individuals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes a potential issue with harm-minimisation theories?

    <p>They are dependent on the choice set and can alter relative rankings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of two states of affairs A1 and A2 that only differ by the presence of an additional person, what is true about the comparative harm experienced by others in both states?

    <p>Other persons experience no comparative harm in either state.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does V(Ai) represent in the context of harm-minimisation theory?

    <p>The set of individuals existing in state Ai and their comparative harm</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does population axiology seek to address?

    <p>The well-being of all potential future individuals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which axiology is assumed to be correct for the fixed-population case?

    <p>Utilitarian axiology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What challenge does Section 6 of the survey article primarily address?

    <p>The existence of impossibility theorems in population axiology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is considered a significant aspect of population axiology?

    <p>The identities of persons never born.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theory discusses a compromise between total and average well-being?

    <p>Variable Value theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What counterargument is presented against fixed-population axiologies?

    <p>They neglect the importance of non-existent individuals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the nature of the 'states of affairs' in population axiology?

    <p>They encompass the entire history of potential individuals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do 'impossibility theorems' reveal about population axiology?

    <p>Proposed axiologies often contradict intuitive principles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main principle of Totalism?

    <p>It asserts that total well-being in A must be higher than that in B.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Averagism defines a state A as better than state B based on which criterion?

    <p>Higher average well-being in A relative to B.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the value function VT ot (X) in Totalism represent?

    <p>The total well-being level of all individuals in X.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What key objection is raised against Totalism?

    <p>It leads logically to the Repugnant Conclusion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The 'Repugnant Conclusion' suggests what about state of affairs A?

    <p>A better state exists where no one lives well.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the notation |X| represent in the discussed population axiologies?

    <p>The count of persons in the state of affairs X.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If two states A and B have equal average well-being, what can be concluded?

    <p>They are equally good.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect does Totalism hinge upon regarding well-being measurement?

    <p>A strict threshold determining quality of life is essential.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What problematic conclusion arises from Averagism?

    <p>The Sadistic Conclusion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which principle is violated by Averagism when additional people with lives worth living are added?

    <p>The Mere Addition Principle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of Averagism, what might happen when a large number of people with positive but below-average well-being are added?

    <p>The average well-being could decrease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic feature of Variable Value theories?

    <p>They suggest diminishing marginal value as population size grows.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When considering small populations, how might Averagism be viewed differently?

    <p>Adding a person with positive well-being seems more commendable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why might some reject the Mere Addition Principle?

    <p>It implies worse outcomes with new worthwhile lives added.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key issue raised by the Sadistic Conclusion in Averagism?

    <p>It argues for a comparison of well-being levels in societal ethics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the content imply about the comparison between Totalism and Averagism?

    <p>Variable Value theories seek to strike a balance between them.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Population Axiology

    • Population axiology is the study of conditions where one state of affairs is better than another, considering differences in the number and identities of people who ever live.
    • Existing theories include totalism, averagism, variable value theories, critical level theories, and person-affecting theories.
    • Each theory has potential issues.
    • It's demonstrable that no single theory can simultaneously satisfy all intuitively appealing criteria.

    Basic Questions in Population Ethics

    • Fixed-population ethics is sufficient when decisions don't influence the number or identities of future persons.
    • Variable-population ethics (population ethics) is necessary for decisions affecting population sizes and compositions.
    • Examples include decisions about having children, allocating life-saving resources, mitigating climate change, and promoting reproductive health.
    • Population ethics considers both the overall good and the well-being of individuals.

    Totalism and Averagism

    • Totalism: A is better than B if total well-being in A is higher than in B. States with equal total well-being are equally good.
    • Averagism: A is better than B if the average well-being in A is higher than in B. States with equal average well-being are equally good.
    • Both Totalism and Averagism have problematic implications, including the Repugnant Conclusion and the Sadistic Conclusion.

    Variable Value Views

    • Variable value theories propose that the value of adding an extra person decreases as the number of existing people increases.
    • These theories often aim to balance totalism and averagism, mitigating the issues of the repugnant and sadistic conclusions.

    Critical Level Theories

    • Critical level theories modify totalism by introducing a threshold (a).
    • An additional person's value is calculated by subtracting a constant (a) from their well-being level.
    • These theories avoid the repugnant conclusion, but may entail a weak version of it.

    Person-Affecting Views

    • Person-affecting views emphasize whether a particular person's existence is better or worse than another person's existence.
    • Neutrality principle states that adding a person, leaving others unchanged, does not necessarily improve or worsen a state of affairs.

    Impossibility Theorems

    • Impossibility theorems demonstrate that given certain intuitively compelling criteria (e.g., avoiding the repugnant conclusion, avoiding the sadistic conclusion), no population axiology can simultaneously satisfy them all.

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    Population Axiology PDF

    Description

    This quiz explores the critical concepts of population axiology and its various ethical theories. It delves into the implications of fixed and variable-population ethics, highlighting their relevance in real-world decisions such as resource allocation and family planning. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different theories in population ethics.

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