The Repugnant Conclusion Essays on Population Ethics

Most people (including moral philosophers), when faced with the fact that some of their cherished moral views lead up to the Repugnant Conclusion, feel that they have to revise their moral outlook. However, it is a moot question as to how this should be done. It is not an easy thing to say how one should avoid the Repugnant Conclusion, without having to face even more serious implications from one's basic moral outlook. Several such attempts are presented in this volume. This is the first volume devoted entirely to the cardinal problem of modern population ethics, known as 'The Repugnant Conclusion'.

This book is a must for (moral) philosophers with an interest in population ethics.

Introduction; J. Ryberg, T. Tännsjö. Overpopulation And The Quality Of Life; D. Parfit. Two Parfit Puzzles; T. Mulgan. Critical-Level Population Principles And The Repugnant Conclusion; C. Blackorby, W. Bossert, D. Donaldson. O, Repugnance, Where Is Thy Sting? C. Wolf. Resolving The Repugnant Conclusion; T. Cowen. Person-Based Consequentialism And The Procreation Obligation; M.A. Roberts. Person-Affecting Moralities; N. Holtug. Repugnance Or Intransitivity: A Repugnant But Forced Choice; S. Rachels. The Root Of The Repugnant Conclusion And Its Rebuttal; I. Persson. The Paradoxes Of Future Generations And Normative Theory; G. Arrhenius. Why We Ought To Accept The Repugnant Conclusion; T. Tännsjö. The Repugnant Conclusion And Worthwhile Living; J. Ryberg. Postscript; D. Parfit. Index Of Names.