Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
idea that different notions of betterness are relevant in different contexts.
The idea is that in non-identity cases that concern moral responsibility our
notion of betterness should capture what is relevant from a moral point
of view. In those cases, we are not interested in individuating persons.
Thus the genetic notion of identity is not necessarily the relevant one.
People may, instead, be identified in terms that are morally relevant, such
as 'our next child' (whoever it will be) or 'those who will be living after
us' (whoever they will be). This, however, builds on a notion of morality
and on a position concerning what is morally relevant. It seems that as
far as utilitarianism is concerned, the Wide Person-Affecting Restriction
is a coherent view about the evaluation of outcomes. The Wide Person-
Affecting Restriction differs crucially from the Narrow Person-Affecting
Restriction, which is focused on effects on particular individuals. It differs
also from the Impersonal View, which is focused on the quantity of welfare
as such, rather than on effects on sentient beings.
So far, both assumptions that the Prior Existence View needs in
order to be a coherent utilitarian view about which entities to count
in the aggregation of welfare have been defended. I have argued in the
previous chapter that causing a being to exist cannot harm or benefit
that being. In this chapter, I have argued that the view that outcomes
should be evaluated in terms of their effects on sentient beings is a
coherent utilitarian view on the evaluation of outcomes. Therefore, we
can conclude that the Prior Existence View is a coherent utilitarian view:
If indeed outcomes should be evaluated in terms of harms and benefits
for sentient beings, and if bringing a being into existence cannot harm
or benefit that being, then it makes sense not to take into account the
possible welfare of contingent beings in the evaluation of outcomes.
This is what Prior Existence Utilitarianism implies.
In the following two chapters I will explore the implications of both
Total Utilitarianism and Prior Existence Utilitarianism.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search