“The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few”: Utilitarianism and Star Trek

Littmann, Greg

doi:10.1002/9781119146032.ch12

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Using the average impact is not without shortcomings though, since it does not account for potential discrepancies in impacts suffered by different individuals in a population. In other words, to which point do "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" (Littmann 2016)? Other measures such as the maximum impact experienced by individuals, or more complex functions accounting for the variability of impacts and values across individuals of a same species may also be used, to account for potential disproportionate impacts on a subset of the considered individuals.…”

Section: Formulation Of a Mathematical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is valued in conservation? A framework to compare ethical perspectives

Latombe¹,

Lenzner²,

Schertler³

et al. 2022

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Perspectives in conservation are based on a variety of value systems. Such differences in how people value nature and its components lead to different evaluations of the morality of conservation goals and approaches, and often underlie disagreements in the formulation and implementation of environmental management policies. Specifically, whether a conservation action (e.g. killing feral cats to reduce predation on bird species threatened with extinction) is viewed as appropriate or not can vary among people with different value systems. Here, we present a conceptual, mathematical framework intended as a tool to systematically explore and clarify core value statements in conservation approaches. Its purpose is to highlight how fundamental differences between these value systems can lead to different prioritizations of available management options and offer a common ground for discourse. The proposed equations decompose the question underlying many controversies around management decisions in conservation: what or who is valued, how, and to what extent? We compare how management decisions would likely be viewed under three idealised value systems: ecocentric conservation, which aims to preserve biodiversity; new conservation, which considers that biodiversity can only be preserved if it benefits humans; and sentientist conservation, which aims at minimising suffering for sentient beings. We illustrate the utility of the framework by applying it to case studies involving invasive alien species, rewilding, and trophy hunting. By making value systems and their consequences in practice explicit, the framework facilitates debates on contested conservation issues, and complements philosophical discursive approaches about moral reasoning. We believe dissecting the core value statements on which conservation decisions are based will provide an additional tool to understand and address conservation conflicts.

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Section: Formulation Of a Mathematical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is valued in conservation? A framework to compare ethical perspectives

Latombe¹,

Lenzner²,

Schertler³

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At times when reality resembles science fiction, there is, perhaps, some wisdom in one of the lessons many of us received as children in one of the most renowned and remembered science fiction series: the needs of the many, never, ever should outweigh the needs and rights of the few ( 12 ), or the one. The needs of each one should be addressed even during the most devastating pandemic humankind has witnessed over the last century.…”

Section: Beyond the Healthcare System Covid-19 Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%