Parfit Bio

Abstract

For centuries a debate on the ethics of future generations has been ongoing, and a conclusion referred to as the Repugnant Conclusion emerged. This conclusion states that there would be some much larger number of people whose existence would be worse than a smaller number of people with high-quality lives. The idea drew mixed opinions, including a claim that it proved a non-existence of God. However, it remains a popular finding in philosophy. Despite its popularity, the origins of the Repugnant Conclusion were never fully grasped until after the philosopher who coined it, Derek Parfit, offered a potential solution shortly before his death. Parfit believed he had finally arrived at an answer to the dilemma that plagued philosophers for so long. After studying ethical principles and real-world issues, Parfit ultimately landed on a concept called the Simple Value. This view states every life worth living must be inherently good and enhance the universe. However, he went on to argue that while considering the harms brought upon future generations is important, solely depending on it creates absurd and counterintuitive problems. To resolve the issue, Parfit proposed that one accepts that every life worth living is innately valuable. He called this Perfectionism. Even so, Parfit noted that Perfectionism had flaws of its own. In the end, Parfit arrived at the position that different values cannot be measured on a single scale, and art, science, love, and friendship must not be valuable simply because they are preferred by those who enjoy them, but they must be valuable in ways that other kinds of good things are not. – AI-generated abstract.