Tim Mulgan
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282203
- eISBN:
- 9780191603624
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019928220X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This book develops a new theory of the obligations to future generations, based on a new Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of individual reproduction. The result is a coherent, ...
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This book develops a new theory of the obligations to future generations, based on a new Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of individual reproduction. The result is a coherent, intuitively plausible moral theory that is not unreasonably demanding — even when extended to cover future people — and that accounts for a wide range of independently plausible intuitions covering individual morality, intergenerational justice, and international justice. In particular, it is superior to its two main rivals in this area: person-affecting theories and traditional Consequentialism. The former fall foul of Parfit’s Non-Identity Problem, while the latter are invariably implausibly demanding. Furthermore, many puzzles in contemporary value theory (such as Parfit’s Repugnant Conclusion) are best solved if strict Consequentialism is abandoned for a more moderate alternative. The heart of the book is the first systematic exploration of the Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of individual reproduction. This yields a strong commitment to reproductive freedom, and also provides the best foundation for a liberal theory of intergenerational and international justice. The final chapters argue that while it will include a Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of reproduction, the best overall moral theory is likely to be a composite one, such as the Combined Consequentialism the author developed in The Demands of Consequentialism.Less
This book develops a new theory of the obligations to future generations, based on a new Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of individual reproduction. The result is a coherent, intuitively plausible moral theory that is not unreasonably demanding — even when extended to cover future people — and that accounts for a wide range of independently plausible intuitions covering individual morality, intergenerational justice, and international justice. In particular, it is superior to its two main rivals in this area: person-affecting theories and traditional Consequentialism. The former fall foul of Parfit’s Non-Identity Problem, while the latter are invariably implausibly demanding. Furthermore, many puzzles in contemporary value theory (such as Parfit’s Repugnant Conclusion) are best solved if strict Consequentialism is abandoned for a more moderate alternative. The heart of the book is the first systematic exploration of the Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of individual reproduction. This yields a strong commitment to reproductive freedom, and also provides the best foundation for a liberal theory of intergenerational and international justice. The final chapters argue that while it will include a Rule Consequentialist account of the morality of reproduction, the best overall moral theory is likely to be a composite one, such as the Combined Consequentialism the author developed in The Demands of Consequentialism.
Michael L. Arnold
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199539581
- eISBN:
- 9780191716225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199539581.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter briefly directs the consideration of the evidence presented in the previous chapters in order to draw general conclusions and suggests ways in which the findings presented might be ...
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This chapter briefly directs the consideration of the evidence presented in the previous chapters in order to draw general conclusions and suggests ways in which the findings presented might be applied.Less
This chapter briefly directs the consideration of the evidence presented in the previous chapters in order to draw general conclusions and suggests ways in which the findings presented might be applied.
Matthew Wright
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199274512
- eISBN:
- 9780191706554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274512.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This short conclusion sums up the argument of the book as a whole. It repeats the view that the escape-tragedies are a trilogy, or at least a thematically connected group of plays very closely ...
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This short conclusion sums up the argument of the book as a whole. It repeats the view that the escape-tragedies are a trilogy, or at least a thematically connected group of plays very closely linked. It is argued that the escape-tragedies are in fact ‘tragic’ in not only a historical, Greek sense of the word, but also in a looser, ahistorical sense: they are profoundly dark, pessimistic plays which raise awful questions about human life.Less
This short conclusion sums up the argument of the book as a whole. It repeats the view that the escape-tragedies are a trilogy, or at least a thematically connected group of plays very closely linked. It is argued that the escape-tragedies are in fact ‘tragic’ in not only a historical, Greek sense of the word, but also in a looser, ahistorical sense: they are profoundly dark, pessimistic plays which raise awful questions about human life.
John F. Horty
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199744077
- eISBN:
- 9780199932566
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199744077.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
Although the study of reasons plays an important role in both epistemology and moral philosophy, little attention has been devoted to the question of how, exactly, reason interact to support the ...
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Although the study of reasons plays an important role in both epistemology and moral philosophy, little attention has been devoted to the question of how, exactly, reason interact to support the actions or conclusions they do. The goal of this book is to answer this question by providing a precise, concrete account of reasons and their interaction, based on the logic of default reasoning. The book begins with an intuitive, accessible introduction to default logic itself, and then argues that this logic can be adapted to serve as a foundation for a concrete theory of reasons. It then shows that the resulting theory helps to explain how the interplay among reasons can determine what we ought to do by developing two different deontic logics, capturing two different intuitions about moral conflicts. The central part of the book elaborates the basic theory to account for reasoning about the strength of our own reasons, and also about the related concepts of undercutting defeaters and exclusionary reasons. The theory is illustrated with an application to particularist arguments concerning the role of principles in moral theory. The book concludes by introducing a pair of issues new to the philosophical literature: the problem of determining the epistemic status of conclusions supported by separate but conflicting reasons, and the problem of drawing conclusions from sets of reasons that can vary aribtrarily in strength, or importance.Less
Although the study of reasons plays an important role in both epistemology and moral philosophy, little attention has been devoted to the question of how, exactly, reason interact to support the actions or conclusions they do. The goal of this book is to answer this question by providing a precise, concrete account of reasons and their interaction, based on the logic of default reasoning. The book begins with an intuitive, accessible introduction to default logic itself, and then argues that this logic can be adapted to serve as a foundation for a concrete theory of reasons. It then shows that the resulting theory helps to explain how the interplay among reasons can determine what we ought to do by developing two different deontic logics, capturing two different intuitions about moral conflicts. The central part of the book elaborates the basic theory to account for reasoning about the strength of our own reasons, and also about the related concepts of undercutting defeaters and exclusionary reasons. The theory is illustrated with an application to particularist arguments concerning the role of principles in moral theory. The book concludes by introducing a pair of issues new to the philosophical literature: the problem of determining the epistemic status of conclusions supported by separate but conflicting reasons, and the problem of drawing conclusions from sets of reasons that can vary aribtrarily in strength, or importance.
Sophie Repp
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199543601
- eISBN:
- 9780191715587
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199543601.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Theoretical Linguistics
Chapter 6 summarizes the findings and analyses from the previous chapters, and concludes the book.
Chapter 6 summarizes the findings and analyses from the previous chapters, and concludes the book.
Donna Harrington
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195339888
- eISBN:
- 9780199863662
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339888.003.0006
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
This chapter discusses the information that should be included when presenting CFA results, including model specification, input data, model estimation, model evaluation, and substantive conclusions. ...
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This chapter discusses the information that should be included when presenting CFA results, including model specification, input data, model estimation, model evaluation, and substantive conclusions. Longitudinal measurement invariance and equivalent models are briefly shown. Finally, multilevel confirmatory factor analysis models are also mentioned.Less
This chapter discusses the information that should be included when presenting CFA results, including model specification, input data, model estimation, model evaluation, and substantive conclusions. Longitudinal measurement invariance and equivalent models are briefly shown. Finally, multilevel confirmatory factor analysis models are also mentioned.
Partha Dasgupta
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198288350
- eISBN:
- 9780191596094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198288352.003.0020
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation ...
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The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation to savings. The second discusses the Genesis Problem (which in its purest form asks how many lives there should be, enjoying what standards), and the Repugnant Conclusion (which, in Parfit's formulation states that ‘For any population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some larger imaginable population whose existence,if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living). Section (3) questions whether the Repugnant Conclusion is repugnant when applied to comparisons of well‐being in the Genesis Problem, and section 4 argues that the Genesis Problem is irrelevant in real life, which addresses actual problems. Section (5) looks at population ethics. An extra and separate section (designated Chapter *13) gives theoretical presentations on classical utilitarianism in a limited world.Less
The main part of this chapter discusses normative considerations on population and savings. It has five sections. The first discusses parental concerns on the well‐being of their children in relation to savings. The second discusses the Genesis Problem (which in its purest form asks how many lives there should be, enjoying what standards), and the Repugnant Conclusion (which, in Parfit's formulation states that ‘For any population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some larger imaginable population whose existence,if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living). Section (3) questions whether the Repugnant Conclusion is repugnant when applied to comparisons of well‐being in the Genesis Problem, and section 4 argues that the Genesis Problem is irrelevant in real life, which addresses actual problems. Section (5) looks at population ethics. An extra and separate section (designated Chapter *13) gives theoretical presentations on classical utilitarianism in a limited world.
Michael Jeffreys
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263785
- eISBN:
- 9780191734304
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263785.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter discusses the ‘Prosopography of the Byzantine World’ (PBW), which appears in many pages of this book. It is a British Academy project that is largely funded by the Arts and Humanities ...
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This chapter discusses the ‘Prosopography of the Byzantine World’ (PBW), which appears in many pages of this book. It is a British Academy project that is largely funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The chapter also introduces the concept of prosopography, and mentions several conclusions that PBW drew from the papers and from extensive discussions that occurred in the framework of the colloquium.Less
This chapter discusses the ‘Prosopography of the Byzantine World’ (PBW), which appears in many pages of this book. It is a British Academy project that is largely funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The chapter also introduces the concept of prosopography, and mentions several conclusions that PBW drew from the papers and from extensive discussions that occurred in the framework of the colloquium.
Tim Mulgan
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282203
- eISBN:
- 9780191603624
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019928220X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter rejects the common assumption that we can construct a theory of value in isolation from our theory of right action on the grounds that our strongest moral convictions concern the ...
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This chapter rejects the common assumption that we can construct a theory of value in isolation from our theory of right action on the grounds that our strongest moral convictions concern the morality of actions rather than the values of possible worlds. Moderate Consequentialism (which does not always oblige us to produce the best available outcome) can separate judgements of value from judgements of right action. This flexibility enables us to dissolve familiar puzzles without abandoning standard Consequentialist value theory. For instance, to solve Parfit’s Repugnant Conclusion, a lexical view is defended using both Kantian and Consequentialist arguments. This chapter begins with a sketch of the theory of well-being required by moderate Consequentialism. Its primary focus will be on theories of aggregation: accounts of the relationship between the value of an outcome and the values of the individual lives it contains.Less
This chapter rejects the common assumption that we can construct a theory of value in isolation from our theory of right action on the grounds that our strongest moral convictions concern the morality of actions rather than the values of possible worlds. Moderate Consequentialism (which does not always oblige us to produce the best available outcome) can separate judgements of value from judgements of right action. This flexibility enables us to dissolve familiar puzzles without abandoning standard Consequentialist value theory. For instance, to solve Parfit’s Repugnant Conclusion, a lexical view is defended using both Kantian and Consequentialist arguments. This chapter begins with a sketch of the theory of well-being required by moderate Consequentialism. Its primary focus will be on theories of aggregation: accounts of the relationship between the value of an outcome and the values of the individual lives it contains.
Michael Millgate
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198183662
- eISBN:
- 9780191674099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198183662.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Many writers of the last two centuries looked at Sir Walter Scott as a supreme model of career closure and of noble dying. In his last years, aware of the immensity of his reputation, he collaborated ...
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Many writers of the last two centuries looked at Sir Walter Scott as a supreme model of career closure and of noble dying. In his last years, aware of the immensity of his reputation, he collaborated in the production of his final comprehensive edition of novels, his magnum-opus. This book examines the different ways and strategies in which writers and authors in their old age exert some degree of posthumous control over their personal and literary reputations. In this book, their strategies in keeping their personal and creative privacy and in maintaining the interpretation and textual integrity of their published works are discussed. The four authors examined are Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Henry James and Thomas Hardy, all of whom maintained and etched a pattern of conscious career conclusion by deliberately and passionately ensuring the maintenance of their personal and creative privacy up to and beyond the moment of their death and directed the future conceptions of their work by either preserving personal papers, revising earlier works and providing new prefaces and annotations, publishing so-called ‘collected’ editions, and destroying unwanted works.Less
Many writers of the last two centuries looked at Sir Walter Scott as a supreme model of career closure and of noble dying. In his last years, aware of the immensity of his reputation, he collaborated in the production of his final comprehensive edition of novels, his magnum-opus. This book examines the different ways and strategies in which writers and authors in their old age exert some degree of posthumous control over their personal and literary reputations. In this book, their strategies in keeping their personal and creative privacy and in maintaining the interpretation and textual integrity of their published works are discussed. The four authors examined are Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Henry James and Thomas Hardy, all of whom maintained and etched a pattern of conscious career conclusion by deliberately and passionately ensuring the maintenance of their personal and creative privacy up to and beyond the moment of their death and directed the future conceptions of their work by either preserving personal papers, revising earlier works and providing new prefaces and annotations, publishing so-called ‘collected’ editions, and destroying unwanted works.
Ian S. Lustick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244904
- eISBN:
- 9780191600050
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244901.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
In the concluding chapter of the volume, Ian Lustick summarizes evidence in support of his theory of boundary institutionalization. Drawing on the volume contributors’ studies of the former Soviet ...
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In the concluding chapter of the volume, Ian Lustick summarizes evidence in support of his theory of boundary institutionalization. Drawing on the volume contributors’ studies of the former Soviet Union, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Jordan, Congo/Zaïre, and Iraq, the author seeks to expand options for aligning collective identities and states without encouraging premature deconstruction of state boundaries. Instead of violent destabilization of borders, the author encourages the use of the volume's conclusions for preventing violent conflict or forcible collapse of a state territory.Less
In the concluding chapter of the volume, Ian Lustick summarizes evidence in support of his theory of boundary institutionalization. Drawing on the volume contributors’ studies of the former Soviet Union, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Jordan, Congo/Zaïre, and Iraq, the author seeks to expand options for aligning collective identities and states without encouraging premature deconstruction of state boundaries. Instead of violent destabilization of borders, the author encourages the use of the volume's conclusions for preventing violent conflict or forcible collapse of a state territory.
Grant Hardy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199731701
- eISBN:
- 9780199777167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731701.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature, World Religions
Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate ...
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Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate conclusions. In the first he alludes to the words of Joseph of Egypt (as reported in the Nephite record), and then to Nephi's paraphrase of Joseph's words, and then to the writings of his father Mormon. The second conclusion, at Ether 12, offers a Nephite adaptation of Hebrews 11, somewhat anachronistically. And Moroni's final conclusion, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, is a virtual curtain call which alludes to the farewell addresses of several of the earlier record keepers.Less
Of the three major narrators, Moroni is the most likely to use phrases previously employed by other Book of Mormon writers. Actually, as he brings the book to an end, Moroni provides three separate conclusions. In the first he alludes to the words of Joseph of Egypt (as reported in the Nephite record), and then to Nephi's paraphrase of Joseph's words, and then to the writings of his father Mormon. The second conclusion, at Ether 12, offers a Nephite adaptation of Hebrews 11, somewhat anachronistically. And Moroni's final conclusion, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, is a virtual curtain call which alludes to the farewell addresses of several of the earlier record keepers.
Jon Kolko
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199744336
- eISBN:
- 9780199894710
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199744336.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Models and Architectures, Human-Technology Interaction
This chapter summarizes the text, describing how the materials described can be used in various contexts.
This chapter summarizes the text, describing how the materials described can be used in various contexts.
Bridget D. Samuels
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199694358
- eISBN:
- 9780191731891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199694358.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Phonetics / Phonology, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
‘Conclusions’ summarizes the work and suggests directions for future research.
‘Conclusions’ summarizes the work and suggests directions for future research.
Anandi Hattiangadi
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199219025
- eISBN:
- 9780191711879
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199219025.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
This chapter explores Kripke's sceptical solution. Supposing that the sceptical argument is sound, what prospect is there for a sceptical solution, in other words one that embraces the conclusion ...
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This chapter explores Kripke's sceptical solution. Supposing that the sceptical argument is sound, what prospect is there for a sceptical solution, in other words one that embraces the conclusion that there is no fact of the matter to what we mean? It is argued that the ‘no fact thesis’ is irremediably incoherent, since, if semantic realism is rejected, no statement can be true or justified, even in the weakest sense. Thus, there is no hope for a ‘sceptical solution’ which purports to show that although semantic realism is false, our ascriptions of meaning and content are nevertheless legitimate. Since the appearance of a paradox in the sceptical conclusion cannot be resolved, the chapter provisionally concludes that the argument must falter somewhere.Less
This chapter explores Kripke's sceptical solution. Supposing that the sceptical argument is sound, what prospect is there for a sceptical solution, in other words one that embraces the conclusion that there is no fact of the matter to what we mean? It is argued that the ‘no fact thesis’ is irremediably incoherent, since, if semantic realism is rejected, no statement can be true or justified, even in the weakest sense. Thus, there is no hope for a ‘sceptical solution’ which purports to show that although semantic realism is false, our ascriptions of meaning and content are nevertheless legitimate. Since the appearance of a paradox in the sceptical conclusion cannot be resolved, the chapter provisionally concludes that the argument must falter somewhere.
Stig Stenholm
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199603589
- eISBN:
- 9780191729270
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603589.003.0010
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
This section summarizes the arguments and comments on the opinions presented. This chapter is aiming at exhibiting an impression of the worlds of reality as seen from a position of modern science. ...
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This section summarizes the arguments and comments on the opinions presented. This chapter is aiming at exhibiting an impression of the worlds of reality as seen from a position of modern science. Consequently there is no attempt to include a complete list of references. Thus only essential sources are indicated. The result is multifariously different from a strictly analytic formulation. It is a hazy view, but it suggests to me the existence of a thing of beauty, the human participation in reality.Less
This section summarizes the arguments and comments on the opinions presented. This chapter is aiming at exhibiting an impression of the worlds of reality as seen from a position of modern science. Consequently there is no attempt to include a complete list of references. Thus only essential sources are indicated. The result is multifariously different from a strictly analytic formulation. It is a hazy view, but it suggests to me the existence of a thing of beauty, the human participation in reality.
Patrik Hagman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199593194
- eISBN:
- 9780191595677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593194.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
In this concluding chapter the results of the study is gathered and related to the questions posed in chapter one. For Isaac asceticism is a way to respond to existential questions. Asceticism ...
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In this concluding chapter the results of the study is gathered and related to the questions posed in chapter one. For Isaac asceticism is a way to respond to existential questions. Asceticism functions by using the body to transform one's personality and communicate this difference to the world, and the way the body is used shows that contrary to popular opinion ascetics are deeply aware of the connection between body and soul. Ultimately the ascetic strives to become a message of the possibility of a different way of living, to become something like an icon pointing towards the Kingdom of God. Asceticism is thus seen to be a bodily political theology.Less
In this concluding chapter the results of the study is gathered and related to the questions posed in chapter one. For Isaac asceticism is a way to respond to existential questions. Asceticism functions by using the body to transform one's personality and communicate this difference to the world, and the way the body is used shows that contrary to popular opinion ascetics are deeply aware of the connection between body and soul. Ultimately the ascetic strives to become a message of the possibility of a different way of living, to become something like an icon pointing towards the Kingdom of God. Asceticism is thus seen to be a bodily political theology.
David Benatar
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199296422
- eISBN:
- 9780191712005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296422.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter discusses the implications of the earlier arguments for population and extinction. It is argued that the anti-natal view solves various problems in moral theory about population, ...
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This chapter discusses the implications of the earlier arguments for population and extinction. It is argued that the anti-natal view solves various problems in moral theory about population, including many made famous by Derek Parfit. Anti-natalism is compatible with his Theory X. It solves the non-identity problem, avoids the repugnant conclusion and the mere addition problem, and explains asymmetry. Turning to contractarianism, the chapter shows how anti-natalism is a consequence of maximin in John Rawls' original position. It considers the question whether human extinction, an implication of anti-natalism, may be phased or whether it should come as quickly as possible. Finally, it is argued that the state of human extinction, where it is brought about by failing to produce new people (rather than by killing off existing people), is not bad.Less
This chapter discusses the implications of the earlier arguments for population and extinction. It is argued that the anti-natal view solves various problems in moral theory about population, including many made famous by Derek Parfit. Anti-natalism is compatible with his Theory X. It solves the non-identity problem, avoids the repugnant conclusion and the mere addition problem, and explains asymmetry. Turning to contractarianism, the chapter shows how anti-natalism is a consequence of maximin in John Rawls' original position. It considers the question whether human extinction, an implication of anti-natalism, may be phased or whether it should come as quickly as possible. Finally, it is argued that the state of human extinction, where it is brought about by failing to produce new people (rather than by killing off existing people), is not bad.
Bihani Sarkar
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780197266106
- eISBN:
- 9780191865213
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266106.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
This chapter provides a conclusion to the book. The historical phases and their inner tensions described in the previous chapters reveal that Durgā's representation of the civilizational process and ...
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This chapter provides a conclusion to the book. The historical phases and their inner tensions described in the previous chapters reveal that Durgā's representation of the civilizational process and the problem of chaos remained fundamental throughout her longue durée. In a wider sense, the goddess was an intimate part of the making of early Indian civilization. Each of the three political orders within which the story, and stories, of Durgā unfolded signalled a different period in Indian culture. Whatever the principal idea-maps about people, society and power latent in the air, they became imbued in the goddess. Under the Central Asian Kuṣāṇas, whose empire was a symbiosis of Hellenistic and Iranian cultures, Durgā's personality interwove elements from those traditions, and the extent to which she was indebted to percolations from far-away Bactria may be much greater than we now assume. Under the more parochial, Brahmanical Guptas, Durga's form articulated the Vaiṣṇava ‘classical’; under both empires her single identity as a Vaiṣṇava goddess resonated with the centralized imperial structure. When the atavika New World took over, and classicism began to be reformulated, the form of the goddess became heterogeneous, and harmonious with indigenous belief systems belonging to smaller kingdoms on the rise. Heroic Śāktism offered an idea of power that was in the world, not removed from it. It gave a sense of the divine that hovered close above the ocean of saṃsāra (an image often evoked in Sanskrit poems to Durga), ready to bridge the distance between heaven and earth in order to intervene when the duress of civilizational reformation grew debilitating for its agents. In this way, the goddess's cult represented nothing less than the civilizational transmutations of the classical period from the 3rd to the 12th century. At every stage, it allowed the inclusion of the liminal into articulations concerning civilization, and through this a radical reforming of the old order.Less
This chapter provides a conclusion to the book. The historical phases and their inner tensions described in the previous chapters reveal that Durgā's representation of the civilizational process and the problem of chaos remained fundamental throughout her longue durée. In a wider sense, the goddess was an intimate part of the making of early Indian civilization. Each of the three political orders within which the story, and stories, of Durgā unfolded signalled a different period in Indian culture. Whatever the principal idea-maps about people, society and power latent in the air, they became imbued in the goddess. Under the Central Asian Kuṣāṇas, whose empire was a symbiosis of Hellenistic and Iranian cultures, Durgā's personality interwove elements from those traditions, and the extent to which she was indebted to percolations from far-away Bactria may be much greater than we now assume. Under the more parochial, Brahmanical Guptas, Durga's form articulated the Vaiṣṇava ‘classical’; under both empires her single identity as a Vaiṣṇava goddess resonated with the centralized imperial structure. When the atavika New World took over, and classicism began to be reformulated, the form of the goddess became heterogeneous, and harmonious with indigenous belief systems belonging to smaller kingdoms on the rise. Heroic Śāktism offered an idea of power that was in the world, not removed from it. It gave a sense of the divine that hovered close above the ocean of saṃsāra (an image often evoked in Sanskrit poems to Durga), ready to bridge the distance between heaven and earth in order to intervene when the duress of civilizational reformation grew debilitating for its agents. In this way, the goddess's cult represented nothing less than the civilizational transmutations of the classical period from the 3rd to the 12th century. At every stage, it allowed the inclusion of the liminal into articulations concerning civilization, and through this a radical reforming of the old order.
Nils Holtug
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199580170
- eISBN:
- 9780191722707
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199580170.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This chapter addresses the issue of what matters in survival. A test for assessing our beliefs about what matters is developed and it is argued that what matters is Relation M: roughly, the ...
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This chapter addresses the issue of what matters in survival. A test for assessing our beliefs about what matters is developed and it is argued that what matters is Relation M: roughly, the continuous physical realization of (appropriate) psychology. It is then argued that our theory about self‐interest should have Relation M—rather than identity—as its focus. On this basis, the Prudential View is derived, according to which a person has a present self‐interest in a future benefit if and only if she stands in a relation of continuous physical realization of (appropriate) psychology to the beneficiary, where the strength of the self‐interest depends both on the size of the benefit and on the strength of this relation. Finally, a number of objections are considered, including the ‘Repugnant Conclusion about Self‐interest’, which implies that it may be in our self‐interest to divide and have many continuers to which we are weakly M‐related.Less
This chapter addresses the issue of what matters in survival. A test for assessing our beliefs about what matters is developed and it is argued that what matters is Relation M: roughly, the continuous physical realization of (appropriate) psychology. It is then argued that our theory about self‐interest should have Relation M—rather than identity—as its focus. On this basis, the Prudential View is derived, according to which a person has a present self‐interest in a future benefit if and only if she stands in a relation of continuous physical realization of (appropriate) psychology to the beneficiary, where the strength of the self‐interest depends both on the size of the benefit and on the strength of this relation. Finally, a number of objections are considered, including the ‘Repugnant Conclusion about Self‐interest’, which implies that it may be in our self‐interest to divide and have many continuers to which we are weakly M‐related.
