Imperceptible Harms and Benefits (Library Of Ethics And Applied Philosophy Volume 8)

The papers collected here represent the most recent work on a much-neglected problem in practical reasoning - the problem of imperceptible harms and benefits. This problem is better characterized as a series of both practical and technical paradoxes, since those who deny the existence of imperceptible decrements (or increments) face problems no less perplexing than those who affirm their existence. The puzzles and paradoxes combine very practical and pressing worries about our obligations to relieve starvation, mitigate suffering and conserve resources, with deep metaethical worries about the nature of practical rationality and dynamic choice. This collection gathers together the work of moral philosophers, decision theorists, and economic theorists in an attempt to display the dimensions of the problem and to advance alternative solutions.