Introductory Note. Population Ethics: The Unavoidability of the Quality of Life and the Ensuing Paradoxes
Are you already subscribed?
Login to check
whether this content is already included on your personal or institutional subscription.
Abstract
Population ethics is defined and presented, and some of the paradoxes it encapsulates are spelled out. It is argued that the concept of the quality of a life or of a life worth living can- not be avoided if inquiry on many relevant ethical and political topics is to be pursued in a theoretically fitting mode. In particular, the article deals with the asymmetry between rea- sons for not creating unhappy lives and reasons for creating happy lives, the well-known repugnant conclusion and the paradox of mere addition.
Keywords
- Population Ethics
- Quality of Life
- Repugnant Conclusion
- Mere Addition Paradox
- Asymmetry
