Permalink: http://hdl.handle.net/1866/486
Critical-Level Population Principles and the Repugnant Conclusion
Article [Version of Record]
Is part of
Cahier de recherche ; no. 2002-15.Publisher(s)
Université de Montréal. Département de sciences économiques.Affiliation
Abstract(s)
Critical-level generalized-utilitarian population principles with positive critical levels pro-vide an ethically attractive way of avoiding the repugnant conclusion. We discuss the axiomatic foundations of critical-level generalized utilitarianism and investigate its rela-tionship to the sadistic and strong sadistic conclusions. A positive critical level avoids the repugnant conclusion. We demonstrate that, although no critical-level generalized-utilitarian principle can avoid both the repugnant and strong sadistic conclusions, princi-ples that avoid both have significant defects.