Imperceptible Harms and Benefits
The papers collected here represent the most recent work on a much neglected problem in practical reasoning. It is the problem of imperceptible harms and benefits. It is perhaps better to characterize the problem as a collection of puzzles or paradoxes,
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LIBRARY OF ETHICS AND APPLIED PHILOSOPHY VOLUME 8
Managing Editor: Govert A. den Hartogh, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
711£'
titles puhlished in this series are listed at the end (~lthis volume.
IMPERCEPTIBLE HARMS AND BENEFITS Edited by
MICHAEL J. ALMEIDA The University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A c.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-94-010-5806-3 ISBN 978-94-011-4144-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-4144-4
Printed on acidJree paper
AII Rights Reserved © 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Origina1ly published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 2000 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system. without written permission from the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements 1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6. 7.
8.
Introduction Garrett Cullity Pooled BeneflCence
vii
ix-xiii 1-23
Jordan Howard Sobel Garrett Cullity's Response to an Imperceptibility Challenge
25-48
Donald H. Regan Perceiving Imperceptible Harms: With Other Thoughts on Transitivity, Cumulative Effects, and Consequentialism
49-73
Torbjom Tannsjo The Least Sub-noticeable Difference
75-93
Michael J. Almeida Utility Pumps and the Value ofPartial Compliance
95-110
Yew-Kwang Ng Utilitarianism and Interpersonally Comparable Cardinal Utility: Some Implications ofJust Perceivable Increments of Happiness
111-121
Wlodek Rabinowicz Money Pump with ForeSight
123-154
Index
J55- J57
ACKNO~EDGEMENTS
In early 1997, J. Howard Sobel sent me a version of the paper here published in chapter 2. The fascinating problem of imperceptible harms discussed in that paper led to some very interesting debate and to this collection. I thank him for that. I thank all of the contributors for a level of cooperation and discussion that made the editorial work a cinch. I thank Yvette and Zoe for their patience. Especially ~. Finally I thank the Humanities editors at Kluwer Academic Publishers. On behalf of all of these kind people, all proceeds of Imperceptible Harms and Benefits will be donated to Oxfam International.
INTRODUCTION
The papers collected here represent the most recent work on a muchneglected problem in practical reasoning. It is the problem of imperceptible harms and benefits. It is perhaps better to characterize the problem as a collection of puzzles or paradoxes, since those who deny the existence (or possibility) of imperceptible decrements (or increments) face problems no less perplexing than those who affinn their existence. The puzzles and paradoxes combine very practical and pressing worries about our obligations to relieve starvation, mitigate suffering and conserve resources, with deep metaethical worries about the nature of practical rationality. I use these brief introductory pages to
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