Just to clarify on #2: To “bite the bullet” in the case of the RRC (Figure 4.7) does not entail reducing unbearable suffering. Instead, it entails reducing mild discomfort for many lives at the cost of adding unbearable suffering for others. When it comes to the question of how to prioritize between mild vs. severe harms, accepting these kinds of (Archimedean) tradeoffs is just one option. As you allude to in #1, the other options include looking into lexical views, such as those that would—all else equal—prioritize the reduction of unbearable suffering over any amount of mild (or wholly bearable) discomfort.
Thank you, that’s great to hear!
Just to clarify on #2: To “bite the bullet” in the case of the RRC (Figure 4.7) does not entail reducing unbearable suffering. Instead, it entails reducing mild discomfort for many lives at the cost of adding unbearable suffering for others. When it comes to the question of how to prioritize between mild vs. severe harms, accepting these kinds of (Archimedean) tradeoffs is just one option. As you allude to in #1, the other options include looking into lexical views, such as those that would—all else equal—prioritize the reduction of unbearable suffering over any amount of mild (or wholly bearable) discomfort.
Thanks for correcting me! I’ve reviewed my notes, and made some additional points to ensure I don’t make the mistake again.
Cool, no problem! I admit that it was often left quite abstract what the different parts of the diagrams symbolize.