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CEPPA Talk (in person) – Oskari Sivula (Turku)
November 23, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Location: Edgecliffe G03
Title: Is the future a utility monster?
Abstract: I will revisit Nozick’s utility monster thought experiment and draw an analogy between imagined utility monsters and the long-term future. I argue that the far future can be seen as a real-life utility monster. This is the case if the three premises that form the basis of long-termism are true: 1) the future is vast, 2) morally speaking, the future matters, and 3) current people can (in expectation) positively impact the far future. Following that, I consider a couple of apparent disanalogies between the original utility monster and the far future utility monster. Lastly, I discuss some possible reactions to the argument made.