Resources and the acceptability of the Repugnant Conclusion
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Published
26-02-2020
Stephen J. Schmidt
Abstract
Parfit's Repugnant Conclusion argues, against intuition, that for any world A, another world Z with higher population and minimal well-being is better. That intuition is incorrect because the argument has not considered resources that support well-being. Z must have many more resources supporting well-being than A does. Z is repugnant because it spreads those resources among too many people; another world with Z's resources and fewer people, if available, would be far superior. But Z is still better than A; it is worth accepting its very large population to get the resources needed to support their well-being.
How to Cite
Schmidt, S. J. (2020). Resources and the acceptability of the Repugnant Conclusion. THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 35(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1387/theoria.20121
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Keywords
Repugnant Conclusion, resources, feasibility, population ethics
Section
ARTICLES
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