This is not the case when there’s a well-defined procedure for resolving such conflicts.
Yes, but there isn’t. The theoretical case for terminal value monism is strong because monism doesn’t need such a procedure. All forms of terminal value pluralism run into the problem of incommensurability; monism doesn’t. With monism, we can evaluate and compare x-risks and positive psychology states & traits (vs. suffering) by their instrumental effects for minimizing suffering (which may be empirically difficult, but not theoretically impossible). What more do we want from a unified theory?
Do we want the slightest (epsilon) increase in x-risk to end up weighing more than any suffering? If this is our pre-decided definition, are we going to give up on suffering as a terminal value, caring about suffering only if it increases x-risk?
For example, you can map several terminal values onto a numerical “utility” scale.
I can’t. Who can? (In a non-arbitrary way we could agree on from behind the veil of ignorance.) The analogy of a scale requires a common dimension by which the comparator can sort the two (mass, in the analogy of a scale). What is a common dimension for intercomparing suffering & x-risk, or suffering & positive states? An arbitrary numerical assignment?
To arrive at an impartial theory that doesn’t sanctify our self-serving intuitions, we’d want to formulate our terminal value pluralism, “behind the veil”, by agreeing on independent numerical utility values for different terminal value-grounded currencies, such as:
(1) +epsilon probability of human extinction
(2) +epsilon probability that someone undergoes, e.g., a cluster headache episode (or equivalent)
(3) +epsilon probability that someone instantiates/deepens a positive psychology state [requiring a common dimension for “positivity”, unlike monism]
With monism, we don’t need to agree on definitions & values for multiple such currencies. Instead, we want to ground the (dis)value of other values in their relationships to extreme suffering, which everyone already finds terminally motivating in their own case (unlike x-risk reduction or positivity-production, worth noting). I wouldn’t agree to any theory where extreme suffering can be outweighed by enough positivity elsewhere, because outweighing “does not compute”: positivity can only outweigh suffering if it reduces even more suffering, but not by itself, because a positive fantasy of infinite utility is not an antidote to suffering, because the aggregate terminal positivity physically exists only as a fantasy [an imaginary spreadsheet cell] that never interacts with our terminal suffering.
Without monism, how do we agree on the pluralist numerical values if we could end up undergoing the cluster headache-equivalent suffering ourselves (i.e., simulating an impartial compassion)? Are we to trust that cluster headaches aren’t so bad, when they’re outweighed according to a formula that some (not all) people agreed on?
Yes, but there isn’t. The theoretical case for terminal value monism is strong because monism doesn’t need such a procedure. All forms of terminal value pluralism run into the problem of incommensurability; monism doesn’t. With monism, we can evaluate and compare x-risks and positive psychology states & traits (vs. suffering) by their instrumental effects for minimizing suffering (which may be empirically difficult, but not theoretically impossible). What more do we want from a unified theory?
Do we want the slightest (epsilon) increase in x-risk to end up weighing more than any suffering? If this is our pre-decided definition, are we going to give up on suffering as a terminal value, caring about suffering only if it increases x-risk?
I can’t. Who can? (In a non-arbitrary way we could agree on from behind the veil of ignorance.) The analogy of a scale requires a common dimension by which the comparator can sort the two (mass, in the analogy of a scale). What is a common dimension for intercomparing suffering & x-risk, or suffering & positive states? An arbitrary numerical assignment?
To arrive at an impartial theory that doesn’t sanctify our self-serving intuitions, we’d want to formulate our terminal value pluralism, “behind the veil”, by agreeing on independent numerical utility values for different terminal value-grounded currencies, such as:
(1) +epsilon probability of human extinction
(2) +epsilon probability that someone undergoes, e.g., a cluster headache episode (or equivalent)
(3) +epsilon probability that someone instantiates/deepens a positive psychology state [requiring a common dimension for “positivity”, unlike monism]
With monism, we don’t need to agree on definitions & values for multiple such currencies. Instead, we want to ground the (dis)value of other values in their relationships to extreme suffering, which everyone already finds terminally motivating in their own case (unlike x-risk reduction or positivity-production, worth noting). I wouldn’t agree to any theory where extreme suffering can be outweighed by enough positivity elsewhere, because outweighing “does not compute”: positivity can only outweigh suffering if it reduces even more suffering, but not by itself, because a positive fantasy of infinite utility is not an antidote to suffering, because the aggregate terminal positivity physically exists only as a fantasy [an imaginary spreadsheet cell] that never interacts with our terminal suffering.
Without monism, how do we agree on the pluralist numerical values if we could end up undergoing the cluster headache-equivalent suffering ourselves (i.e., simulating an impartial compassion)? Are we to trust that cluster headaches aren’t so bad, when they’re outweighed according to a formula that some (not all) people agreed on?