Torbjorn Tannsjo
Biographic Data
| ID | 1073971 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Torbjorn Tannsjo |
| GIVEN NAMES | Torbjorn |
| FAMILY NAME | Tannsjo |
| SIGNATURE | TANNSJO T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stockholm University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9670-4608 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 27 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
What Should We Agree on about the Repugnant Conclusion
The Repugnant Conclusion is an implication of some approaches to population ethics. It states, in Derek Parfit's original formulation, For any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much larger imaginable population whose existence, if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living. (Parfit 1984: 388)
From dawn till dusk. bioethical insights into the beginning and the end of life
Why Derek Parfit had reasons to accept the Repugnant Conclusion
Total views imply what Derek Parfit has called ‘the repugnant conclusion’. There are several strategies aimed at debunking the intuition that this implication is repugnant. In particular, it goes away when we consider the principle of unrestricted instantiation, according to which any instantiation of the repugnant conclusion must appear repugnant if we should be warranted in relying on it as evidence against total theories. However, there are in…
Context-Dependent Preferences and the Right to Forgo Life-Saving Treatments
A member of Jehovah’s Witnesses agreed to receive blood when alone, but rejected it once the elders were present. She insisted that the elders should stay, they were allowed to do so, and she bled
Utilitarianism or Prioritarianism
A simple hedonistic theory allowing for interpersonal comparisons of happiness is taken for granted in this article. The hedonistic theory is used to compare utilitarianism, urging us to maximize the sum total of happiness, with prioritarianism, urging us to maximize a sum total of weighed happiness. It is argued with reference to a few thought experiments that utilitarianism is, intuitively speaking, more plausible than prioritarianism. The prob…
Chinese and Westerners Respond Differently to the Trolley Dilemmas
A set of moral problems known as The Trolley Dilemmas was presented to 3000 randomly selected inhabitants of the USA, Russia and China. It is shown that Chinese are significantly less prone to support utility-maximizing alternatives, as compared to the US and Russian respondents. A number of possible explanations, as well as methodological issues pertaining to the field of surveying moral judgment and moral disagreement, are discussed
Understanding Through Explanation in Ethics1
In morality, as in science, we seek understanding through explanation. While old fashioned non-naturalistic moral realism renders such explanation available to us, neither moral irrealism nor moral naturalism does. This does not prove any of these theories wrong, of course. It does indicate, however, that, if we feel that we have to resort to them, there is a high intellectual price to be paid
Egalitarianism and the Putative Paradoxes of Population Ethics
The repugnant conclusion is acceptable from the point of view of total utilitarianism. Total utilitarians do not seem to be bothered with it. They feel that it is in no way repugnant. To me, a hard-nosed total utilitarian, this settles the case. However, if, sometimes, I doubt that total utilitarianism has the final say in ethics, and tend to think that there may be something to some objection to it or another, it is the objection to it brought f…
Social Psychology and the Paradox of Revolution
According to the gunman theory, many revolutions do not take place, in spite of the fact that the majority stands to gain if they can put an end to the oppression exercised over it, since a gunman can see to it that egoistic individuals have no incentive to take part in revolution. Champions of the idea that there is a paradox of revolution go further: Even if individuals care about the common good, they will not take action. This is wrong. If th…
Rational Injustice
Different attempts have been made to answer Reich’s question of why the majority of those who are hungry don’t steal and why the majority of those who are exploited don’t strike. The two most influential approaches have been the ideological one and the gunman theory. The gunman theory seems to have the upper hand. However, there are cases where oppression takes place in the absence of any gunman. The usual example is the democratic welfare state.…
The Repugnant Conclusion
The repugnant conclusion
"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…
Repugnant Conclusion
Values in Sport
Part I. Elitism 1. Is Our Admiration or Sports Heroes Fascistoid? Torbjorn Tannsjo 2. Sports, Fascism and the Market Claudio Tamburrini 3. The Logic of Progress and the Art of Moderation in Competitive Sports Sigmund Loland Part II. Nationalism 4. Sports as the Moral Discourse of Nations William J. Morgan 5. A Justification of Moderate Patriotism in Sport Nicholas Dixon 6. Patriotism in Sports and in War Paul Gomberg Part III. Gender Equality 7. …
Why We Ought to Accept the Repugnant Conclusion
Derek Parfit has famously pointed out that ‘total’ utilitarian views, such as classical hedonistic utilitarianism, lead to the conclusion that, to each population of quite happy persons there corresponds a more extensive population with people living lives just worth living, which is (on the whole) better. In particular, for any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much large…
Understanding ethics
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
The Expressivist Theory of Truth 1
The expressivist theory of truth (TETT) is stated and defended. According to TETT, to state such things as that it is true that snow is white is to express one's assent to the proposition that snow is white. In contexts where we refer to propositions with the aid of definite descriptions (“What Peter said”) or quantify over them (“Everything Peter says”), in order to say that they are “true”, the word “true” is essential, however. But it does not…
Must We, the Reader and I, Make Great Sacrifices In Order to Save Starving Children
P eter U nger , Living High and Letting Die. Our Illusion of Innocence (Oxford and New York Oxford University Press, 1996
A Concrete View of Intrinsic Value
Metaphysics and Morality
Lecture critique de l'ouvrage de F. Jackson intitule «From metaphysics to ethics» (1998) qui traite du physicalisme et du realisme concernant les phenomenes psychologiques, d'une part, et qui applique le descriptivisme au domaine de l'ethique, d'autre part. Examinant la definition relationnelle de la survenance et la definition des couleurs en termes de qualite primaire, l'A. etudie le probleme de la localisation des phenomenes ethiques dans le c…
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
GBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup('ISBN:9780748610426'); This volume presents a comprehensive statement in defense of the doctrine known as classical, hedonistic utilitarianism. It is presented as a viable alternative in the search for a moral theory and the claim is defended that we need such a theory. The book offers a distinctive approach and some quite controversial conclusions. Torbjörn Tännsjö challenges the assumption that hedonistic utilitaria…
Moral Realism
Moral Realism
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Moral Realism. By Torbjorn Tannsjo. (Savage, Md: Rowman and Littlefield, 1989. Pp. 128. Price $32.50.) Nick Zangwill Nick Zangwill Magdalen College, Oxford Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 42, Issue 169, October 1992, Pages 514–515, https://doi.org/10.2307/2220300 Published: 01 October 1992
Conservatism For Our Time
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Conservatism For Our Time. By Torbjorn Tannsjo. (London: Routledge, 1990. Pp. xi + 172. Price £25.00.) Kevin Magill Kevin Magill Wolverhampton Polytechnic Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 41, Issue 164, July 1991, Pages 367–369, https://doi.org/10.2307/2220046 Published: 01 July 1991
Why We Ought to Accept the Repugnant Conclusion
Derek Parfit has famously pointed out that ‘total’ utilitarian views, such as classical hedonistic utilitarianism, lead to the conclusion that, to each population of quite happy persons there corresponds a more extensive population with people living lives just worth living, which is (on the whole) better. In particular, for any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much large…
What Should We Agree on about the Repugnant Conclusion
The Repugnant Conclusion is an implication of some approaches to population ethics. It states, in Derek Parfit's original formulation, For any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much larger imaginable population whose existence, if other things are equal, would be better, even though its members have lives that are barely worth living. (Parfit 1984: 388)
Chinese and Westerners Respond Differently to the Trolley Dilemmas
A set of moral problems known as The Trolley Dilemmas was presented to 3000 randomly selected inhabitants of the USA, Russia and China. It is shown that Chinese are significantly less prone to support utility-maximizing alternatives, as compared to the US and Russian respondents. A number of possible explanations, as well as methodological issues pertaining to the field of surveying moral judgment and moral disagreement, are discussed
Rational Injustice
Different attempts have been made to answer Reich’s question of why the majority of those who are hungry don’t steal and why the majority of those who are exploited don’t strike. The two most influential approaches have been the ideological one and the gunman theory. The gunman theory seems to have the upper hand. However, there are cases where oppression takes place in the absence of any gunman. The usual example is the democratic welfare state.…
Utilitarianism or Prioritarianism
A simple hedonistic theory allowing for interpersonal comparisons of happiness is taken for granted in this article. The hedonistic theory is used to compare utilitarianism, urging us to maximize the sum total of happiness, with prioritarianism, urging us to maximize a sum total of weighed happiness. It is argued with reference to a few thought experiments that utilitarianism is, intuitively speaking, more plausible than prioritarianism. The prob…
The Morality of Collective Actions
Journal Article The Morality of Collective Action Get access Torbjorn Tannsjo Torbjorn Tannsjo University of Stockholm Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 39, Issue 155, April 1989, Pages 221–228, https://doi.org/10.2307/2219640 Published: 01 April 1989
The morality of abstract entities
Against Freedom of Expression
This paper states a common western ideal of freedom of expression. Such an ideal is tenable, it is argued, only if its implementation makes possible a ‘sound mass communication’. A communication is sound if and only if it prepares the way for growth in knowledge, pluralism, and equality of access to mass media. In today's world, with centralized ownership of mass media, the implementation of the common western ideal of freedom of expression does …
The moral import of modal realism
The Morality of Collective Actions
Journal Article The Morality of Collective Action Get access Torbjorn Tannsjo Torbjorn Tannsjo University of Stockholm Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 39, Issue 155, April 1989, Pages 221–228, https://doi.org/10.2307/2219640 Published: 01 April 1989
Conservatism For Our Time
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Conservatism For Our Time. By Torbjorn Tannsjo. (London: Routledge, 1990. Pp. xi + 172. Price £25.00.) Kevin Magill Kevin Magill Wolverhampton Polytechnic Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 41, Issue 164, July 1991, Pages 367–369, https://doi.org/10.2307/2220046 Published: 01 July 1991
Moral Realism
Moral Realism
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Moral Realism. By Torbjorn Tannsjo. (Savage, Md: Rowman and Littlefield, 1989. Pp. 128. Price $32.50.) Nick Zangwill Nick Zangwill Magdalen College, Oxford Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 42, Issue 169, October 1992, Pages 514–515, https://doi.org/10.2307/2220300 Published: 01 October 1992
Metaphysics and Morality
Lecture critique de l'ouvrage de F. Jackson intitule «From metaphysics to ethics» (1998) qui traite du physicalisme et du realisme concernant les phenomenes psychologiques, d'une part, et qui applique le descriptivisme au domaine de l'ethique, d'autre part. Examinant la definition relationnelle de la survenance et la definition des couleurs en termes de qualite primaire, l'A. etudie le probleme de la localisation des phenomenes ethiques dans le c…
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
GBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup('ISBN:9780748610426'); This volume presents a comprehensive statement in defense of the doctrine known as classical, hedonistic utilitarianism. It is presented as a viable alternative in the search for a moral theory and the claim is defended that we need such a theory. The book offers a distinctive approach and some quite controversial conclusions. Torbjörn Tännsjö challenges the assumption that hedonistic utilitaria…
A Concrete View of Intrinsic Value
The Expressivist Theory of Truth 1
The expressivist theory of truth (TETT) is stated and defended. According to TETT, to state such things as that it is true that snow is white is to express one's assent to the proposition that snow is white. In contexts where we refer to propositions with the aid of definite descriptions (“What Peter said”) or quantify over them (“Everything Peter says”), in order to say that they are “true”, the word “true” is essential, however. But it does not…
Must We, the Reader and I, Make Great Sacrifices In Order to Save Starving Children
P eter U nger , Living High and Letting Die. Our Illusion of Innocence (Oxford and New York Oxford University Press, 1996
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
Values in Sport
Part I. Elitism 1. Is Our Admiration or Sports Heroes Fascistoid? Torbjorn Tannsjo 2. Sports, Fascism and the Market Claudio Tamburrini 3. The Logic of Progress and the Art of Moderation in Competitive Sports Sigmund Loland Part II. Nationalism 4. Sports as the Moral Discourse of Nations William J. Morgan 5. A Justification of Moderate Patriotism in Sport Nicholas Dixon 6. Patriotism in Sports and in War Paul Gomberg Part III. Gender Equality 7. …
Why We Ought to Accept the Repugnant Conclusion
Derek Parfit has famously pointed out that ‘total’ utilitarian views, such as classical hedonistic utilitarianism, lead to the conclusion that, to each population of quite happy persons there corresponds a more extensive population with people living lives just worth living, which is (on the whole) better. In particular, for any possible population of at least ten billion people, all with a very high quality of life, there must be some much large…
Understanding ethics
The Repugnant Conclusion
The repugnant conclusion
"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…
Repugnant Conclusion
Rational Injustice
Different attempts have been made to answer Reich’s question of why the majority of those who are hungry don’t steal and why the majority of those who are exploited don’t strike. The two most influential approaches have been the ideological one and the gunman theory. The gunman theory seems to have the upper hand. However, there are cases where oppression takes place in the absence of any gunman. The usual example is the democratic welfare state.…
Social Psychology and the Paradox of Revolution
According to the gunman theory, many revolutions do not take place, in spite of the fact that the majority stands to gain if they can put an end to the oppression exercised over it, since a gunman can see to it that egoistic individuals have no incentive to take part in revolution. Champions of the idea that there is a paradox of revolution go further: Even if individuals care about the common good, they will not take action. This is wrong. If th…
Understanding Through Explanation in Ethics1
In morality, as in science, we seek understanding through explanation. While old fashioned non-naturalistic moral realism renders such explanation available to us, neither moral irrealism nor moral naturalism does. This does not prove any of these theories wrong, of course. It does indicate, however, that, if we feel that we have to resort to them, there is a high intellectual price to be paid
Egalitarianism and the Putative Paradoxes of Population Ethics
The repugnant conclusion is acceptable from the point of view of total utilitarianism. Total utilitarians do not seem to be bothered with it. They feel that it is in no way repugnant. To me, a hard-nosed total utilitarian, this settles the case. However, if, sometimes, I doubt that total utilitarianism has the final say in ethics, and tend to think that there may be something to some objection to it or another, it is the objection to it brought f…
Chinese and Westerners Respond Differently to the Trolley Dilemmas
A set of moral problems known as The Trolley Dilemmas was presented to 3000 randomly selected inhabitants of the USA, Russia and China. It is shown that Chinese are significantly less prone to support utility-maximizing alternatives, as compared to the US and Russian respondents. A number of possible explanations, as well as methodological issues pertaining to the field of surveying moral judgment and moral disagreement, are discussed
Context-Dependent Preferences and the Right to Forgo Life-Saving Treatments
A member of Jehovah’s Witnesses agreed to receive blood when alone, but rejected it once the elders were present. She insisted that the elders should stay, they were allowed to do so, and she bled
Epistemology (21 works) · Philosophy (21 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Economics (8 works) · Law (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Political Philosophy and Ethics (7 works) · Psychology (7 works)