Replaceability, Population, and Marginal Cases

This chapter surveys what Peter Singer has said about the “replaceability” of non-persons, emphasizing that there are problems with each of several different accounts he has offered and how these problems can be addressed in the context of a Harean, two level utilitarianism. It also takes up the questions of what the optimal populations of humans and animals would be, and the related problem of Parfit’s “repugnant conclusion.” The chapter ends with a more detailed consideration of the problem of marginal cases, which was initially treated at the end of chapter seven.

This chapter surveys what Peter Singer has said about the “replaceability” of non-persons, emphasizing that there are problems with each of several different accounts he has offered and how these problems can be addressed in the context of a Harean, two level utilitarianism. It also takes up the questions of what the optimal populations of humans and animals would be, and the related problem of Parfit’s “repugnant conclusion.” The chapter ends with a more detailed consideration of the problem of marginal cases, which was initially treated at the end of chapter seven.