L30 Phil 235F Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mere Addition Paradox, Egalitarianism
31 Jan 2019
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Height of bar: happiness of each individual in population. B has 80 units of happiness has a greater total amount of happiness. So a has a greater average amount of happiness, while b. Note: everyone in the scenarios has a very good life. The average utility principle: if other things are equal, it is better if people are, on. Most people think a is better than b, and this would follow from the average average, happier. The total utility principle: if other things are equal, it is better if there is a greater sum of happiness. The total utility principle says that world b is better than a because it includes a greater quantity of happiness. Parfit argues that we should reject the total utility principle. The repugnant conclusion - for any population, full of very happy people, there is some much larger possible population, full of vast numbers of people with lives barely worth living, that is much better.
