Intertemporal population ethics: critical-level utilitarian principles

Area of Science:

• Social Choice Theory
• Welfarist Economics
• Intertemporal Decision Making

Background:

• Social evaluation models often simplify population dynamics and historical context.
• Intertemporal frameworks require careful consideration of how past events influence present welfare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop principles for social evaluation in dynamic populations.
• To investigate the role of history in intertemporal social welfare.
• To characterize generalized utilitarian rules using specific axioms.

Main Methods:

• Developed an intertemporal model with variable population size, utility, lifespan, and birth dates.
• Utilized the axiom of independence of the utilities of the dead.
• Characterized critical-level generalized utilitarian rules.

Main Results:

• Provided a characterization of critical-level generalized utilitarian rules.
• Demonstrated that social discounting is incompatible with intertemporal welfarist environments.
• Discussed implications for population planning.

Conclusions:

• The independence of the utilities of the dead axiom is key for characterizing specific utilitarian rules.
• Intertemporal welfarist social evaluation should not employ social discounting.
• The model offers insights into complex population dynamics and social welfare.