ESRogs comments on Humans are utility monsters - Less Wrong

67 Post author: PhilGoetz 16 August 2013 09:05PM

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Comment author: ESRogs 23 August 2013 03:07:28AM 0 points [-]

not wrong to not create new people as long as their lives would be worth living

Did you mean to write, "not wrong to create new people..." ?

Comment author: somervta 23 August 2013 07:35:15AM 0 points [-]

No, that's Singer's position. He's saying there is no obligation to create new people.

Comment author: ESRogs 23 August 2013 12:50:39PM 0 points [-]

Then what's the qualifier about their lives being worth living there for? Presumably he believes it's also not wrong to not create people whose lives would not be worth living, right?

Comment author: somervta 23 August 2013 01:27:45PM 1 point [-]

Huh. Rereading it, your interpretation might make more sense. I was thinking about that as 'even if their lives would be worth living, you don't have an obligation to create new people', which is a position that Peter Singer holds, but so is the position expressed after your correction.