The Existence Puzzles

M. A. Roberts is a professor of philosophy at the College of New Jersey. Her articles in population ethics have appeared in Ethics, Analysis, Theoria, Utilitas, Theory and Decision, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Law and Economics and elsewhere. She is the author of Abortion and the Moral Significance of Merely Possible Persons and Child Versus Childmaker.

Acknowledgments

Dedication

List of accepted principles and rejected principles

Lists of figures

Preface

Chapter 1: Recent history and current perplexed state of population ethics
1.1 Population variability and the inquiry into existential status
1.2 The case of Jaime versus Harry
1.3 A quick turn back to traditional total view
1.4 More than one way to maximize: maximizing on the aggregate; maximizing on the individual
1.5 Are hormones to blame?
1.6 Conceptual necessities also puzzle pieces; more inventive approaches on hold
1.7 The puzzle method; the role of intuition; the off ramp
1.8 Connection thesis; accessibility relation
1.9 Five existence puzzles

Chapter 2: The Asymmetry Puzzle

2.1 The miserable child case and the happy child case
2.2 The puzzle
2.3 Attempts to solve the puzzle that go nowhere
2.4 The existence-sensitive solution to the asymmetry
2.5 Objections and replies

Chapter 3: The Pareto puzzle

3.1 The three option case
3.2 The puzzle
3.3 Attempts to solve the puzzle by tossing out some of the puzzle pieces
3.4 The Pareto minus solution to the Pareto puzzle
3.5 Objection and reply: Doesn't the Pareto minus solution violate the independence of irrelevant alternatives?

Chapter 4: The Addition Puzzle

4.1 The puzzle
4.2 Why we love addition
4.3 Inversive existence-sensitive solution to the addition puzzle
4.4 Objection and reply: Isn't inversive existence-sensitive addition circular?
4.5 Applications of inversive existence-sensitive addition
4.6 Wouldn't it be simpler to "minimize aggregate complaints"?

Chapter 5: The Anonymity Puzzle

5.1 The case of simple addition and reversal
5.2 The case of indefinitely iterated addition and reversal; the puzzle
5.3 When the cures are worse than the disease
5.4 Identity-sensitive solution to the anonymity puzzle
5.5 Objections and replies

Chapter 6: The Better Chance Puzzle

6.1 Probability questions
6.2 Expected value: the wrong way to make a wrong a right
6.3 Probable value: a better way to make a wrong a right
6.4 Objections and replies

Chapter 7: Person-based consequentialism and a New Way of Doing the Best We Can

Appendix A: Nonexistence Comparability
Appendix B: The Loss Distinction Thesis
Appendix C: Broome on the Neutrality Intuition

Index

Bibliography