This is a reminder for:
Title: Dept Sem: Andy Lamey
Title: Asymmetrical Reproductive Obligation: A Defense
Abstract
Imagine a couple deciding whether or not to have a baby. Suppose they
can reasonably foresee that their child will live a life that will on
balance be happy. And suppose they also know that their decision to
have a child will not negatively affect anyone else. A widespread and
intuitive view holds that if the couple decide to remain childless
they commit no moral wrong. According to Peter Singer, however, this
view is at odds with an equally intuitive view regarding the opposite
kind of case: that in which the couple can foresee that their future
child will have a miserable existence. In the latter scenario, it
seems intuitive to say that the couple have an obligation not to
conceive the miserable child, even though we recognize no equivalent
obligation to conceive the happy child. Singer, drawing on the work of
Derek Parfit, argues that these two aspects of our everyday morality
are inconsistent, and we need to either recognize an obligation to
produce happy children, or explain why there is an asymmetry between
the two cases. In this talk I adopt the second strategy, and argue
that there is a morally relevant difference between the two cases.
This asymmetry can be seen when we ask what happens in either case
when we fail to bring about the best option. In one case, but not the
other, an individual is harmed. This fact generates an obligation that
applies in the case of the miserable child but not the happy one.
When: Wed 12 Oct 15:30 – 17:30 Eastern Time - Melbourne, Sydney
Where: The Refectory, Main Quad
Calendar: Seminars
Who:
* david.macarthu...@gmail.com- creator
Event details:
https://www.google.com/calendar/event?action=VIEWeid=MHFicXU4bXVibHZ2NTB1ZGkwM3I3bDhkdWMgMm1lN2M3ZnIzb21wbDRyaHZrcG1sYTUzNjhAZw
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