Can we harm and benefit in creating?

Abstract

The non-identity problem arises when actions create future individuals who would not have existed otherwise, posing a moral dilemma as these actions may seem wrong despite not making those individuals worse off than they would have been. Consider a policy permitting radioactive waste, which, while less inconvenient for the present, would cause significant harm to future generations through pollution. This policy could create a future with different individuals due to its impact on public policy, industry, and individual lives. The problem lies in reconciling the harm caused to future individuals with the fact that they would not exist without the policy, making it difficult to determine whether the policy is morally justifiable.