The Overgeneralization of the Future Like Ours Argument.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Moral Philosophy
• Abortion Debate

Background:

• Don Marquis's Future Like Ours (FLO) argument is a prominent anti-abortion stance.
• Marquis attempts to address overgeneralization concerns by focusing on identifiable individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the scope and validity of the Future Like Ours argument.
• To demonstrate that Marquis's FLO argument overgeneralizes beyond its intended application.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the FLO argument.
• Examination of the "favorable circumstances" condition within the FLO argument.
• Exploration of implications for artificial animal enhancement and its fetuses.

Main Results:

• The FLO argument overgeneralizes when "favorable circumstances" are considered.
• Artificial enhancement of animals could grant them FLOs, leading to counterintuitive conclusions.
• This overgeneralization challenges the core tenets of Marquis's argument.

Conclusions:

• The FLO argument, as formulated, leads to independently implausible conclusions.
• The inclusion of "favorable circumstances" undermines the argument's coherence.
• The FLO argument should be rejected due to its overgeneralization and problematic implications.