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A new paradox for well-being subjectivism
1Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford UK.
Analysis
|February 1, 2024
Summary
Subjectivist theories of well-being face a new paradox of judgment, challenging even those based on prudential values. This paradox requires subjectivists to refine their theories or defend against new objections.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy
- Ethics
- Well-being Studies
Background:
- Subjectivist theories ground well-being in subjective attitudes.
- Many subjectivist views face the 'paradox of desire', struggling with agents valuing their life negatively.
- Prudential value theories offer a partial solution to the paradox of desire.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce a new paradox of judgment with broader scope for subjectivist well-being theories.
- Examine the limitations of existing idealizations in resolving this new paradox.
- Propose avenues for refining subjectivist theories to address the paradox of judgment.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of subjectivist well-being theories.
- Identification and explication of a new paradox of judgment.
- Evaluation of idealizations like coherence and consideration.
Main Results:
- A new paradox of judgment is presented, impacting a wider range of subjectivist theories, including prudential ones.
- Common idealizations (coherence, consideration) are insufficient to resolve the paradox.
- The paradox challenges the determinacy of well-being judgments in specific subjective scenarios.
Conclusions:
- Subjectivist theories of well-being require additional idealizations to resolve the paradox of judgment.
- Alternatively, proponents must demonstrate why these paradoxes do not undermine their theories.
- Further development is needed to ensure robust and determinate subjectivist accounts of well-being.
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