The weight of suffering
How should we weigh suffering against happiness? This paper highlights the existence of an argument from intuitively plausible axiological principles to the striking conclusion that in comparing different populations, there exists some depth of suffering that cannot be compensated for by any measure...
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Philosophy Documentation Center
2023
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| _version_ | 1797108907038998528 |
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| author | Mogensen, A |
| author_facet | Mogensen, A |
| author_sort | Mogensen, A |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | How should we weigh suffering against happiness? This paper highlights the existence of an argument from intuitively plausible axiological principles to the striking conclusion that in comparing different populations, there exists some depth of suffering that cannot be compensated for by any measure of well-being. In addition to a number of structural principles, the argument relies on two key premises. The first is the contrary of the so-called Reverse Repugnant Conclusion. The second is a principle according to which the addition of any population of lives with positive welfare levels makes the outcome worse if accompanied by sufficiently many lives that are not worth living. I consider whether we should accept the conclusion of the argument and what we may end up committed to if we do not, illustrating the implications of the conclusions for the question of whether suffering in aggregate outweighs happiness among human and non-human animals, now and in future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:34:35Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:356276eb-e589-495c-97cd-3ee7600b38a9 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:34:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Philosophy Documentation Center |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:356276eb-e589-495c-97cd-3ee7600b38a92023-02-23T11:46:32ZThe weight of sufferingJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:356276eb-e589-495c-97cd-3ee7600b38a9EnglishSymplectic ElementsPhilosophy Documentation Center2023Mogensen, AHow should we weigh suffering against happiness? This paper highlights the existence of an argument from intuitively plausible axiological principles to the striking conclusion that in comparing different populations, there exists some depth of suffering that cannot be compensated for by any measure of well-being. In addition to a number of structural principles, the argument relies on two key premises. The first is the contrary of the so-called Reverse Repugnant Conclusion. The second is a principle according to which the addition of any population of lives with positive welfare levels makes the outcome worse if accompanied by sufficiently many lives that are not worth living. I consider whether we should accept the conclusion of the argument and what we may end up committed to if we do not, illustrating the implications of the conclusions for the question of whether suffering in aggregate outweighs happiness among human and non-human animals, now and in future. |
| spellingShingle | Mogensen, A The weight of suffering |
| title | The weight of suffering |
| title_full | The weight of suffering |
| title_fullStr | The weight of suffering |
| title_full_unstemmed | The weight of suffering |
| title_short | The weight of suffering |
| title_sort | weight of suffering |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mogensena theweightofsuffering AT mogensena weightofsuffering |