The parity view and intuitions of neutrality

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Abstract

One response to Derek Parfit's 'mere addition paradox' invokes the relation of 'parity'. Since parity is a form of 'incommensurateness' in John Broome's terms, three doubts which Broome raises about accounts involving incommensurateness in Weighing Lives pose a challenge for this response. I discuss two of these. They emerge from a discussion of various intuitions about 'neutrality'. I argue that an account based on parity may be no less consistent with Broome's intuitions than is his own vagueness view.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-114
Number of pages8
JournalEconomics and Philosophy
Volume23
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2007

Keywords

  • UTILITARIANISM

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