Parfit's puzzle

Abstract

Derek Parfit argues that neither aggregating nor averaging the quality of individual lives can capture the overall goodness of a world. He contends that any theory of value that relies on these methods will face unacceptable consequences. This paper formalizes Parfit’s arguments and attempts to construct a value-assigning function that avoids the Repugnant Conclusion and other counterintuitive consequences. It examines the Compromise View, Critical-Level Utilitarianism, and other possible solutions. The paper ultimately argues that no function satisfying the constraints identified by Parfit can be constructed, and that a non-Archimedean approach may be required to address the puzzle adequately. – AI-generated abstract