Every History
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10690904 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jonathan Knutzen (0000-0001-5348-5273, New York University Center for Bioethics , USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1077-1095 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-24 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/pq/pqae115 |
| OpenAlex | W4402773502 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
This paper focuses on an underexplored challenge in infinite ethics. On realistic assumptions, if our universe is infinite, every nomologically possible history is actual and nothing we ever do makes a difference to the moral quality of the world as a whole. Call this thought Every History. This paper unpacks Every History and explores some of its ethical implications. Specifically, I argue that if Every History is true and the universe turns out to be infinite (1) our lives are globally insignificant, (2) moral principles enjoining the promotion of value need to be given an appropriately scope-restricted interpretation, and (3) impersonal consequentialism faces a serious challenge
History · Philosophy · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Why Worry About Future Generations?
Death and the Afterlife
The Emergent Multiverse
Causation
Existential Risk Prevention as Global Priority
Creating Capabilities
Moral Luck
On the survival of humanity
Infinite aggregation
Consequentialism and the Agent’s Point of View
On Human Rights
Utilitarianism, Decision Theory and Eternity
Too much of a good thing
The Will to Believe, and other Essays in Popular Philosophy
Time's arrow and self‐locating probability
Philosophical Implications of Inflationary Cosmology
The Scope of Moral Requirement
| Highly cited | No |
|---|