 | Mere addition paradox: Encyclopedia II - Mere addition paradox - The paradox
Mere addition paradox - The paradox
The paradox appears to show that it is better to have a large population, where everyone has a life that is just barely worth living, than a small population where everyone is very happy.
The paradox arises from consideration of three different possibilities. The following diagrams show different populations, with population size on the x-axis, and the happiness of each individual on the y-axis. Note that for each group of people represented, everyone in the group has exactly the same level of happiness.
In population A, everyone is very happy.
Population A Plus consists of 2 groups - the same group as in A has had added to it a group who are less happy, but whose lives are nevertheless worth living. As this is a mere addition of people with lives worth living, Parfit argues that it is no worse than the state of affairs in A.
Population B is the same size as population A Plus, but the average happiness is higher than A Plus, though slightly lower than in A. Since the average happiness is higher than in A Plus, Parfit argues that the state of affairs in B is no worse than that of A Plus, and therefore, no worse than that of A.
The paradox comes because this argument is repeatable until we reach something like Z, a huge population of people whose lives are only just worth living (on these graphs, negative values would indicate lives not worth living).
Thus, the state of affairs in Z is no worse than the state of affairs in A. Parfit calls this the repugnant conclusion, and rejects it, but says he does not have a solution.
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The paradox", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
