The Non-Identity Problem and the Ethics of Future People

David Boonin presents a new account of the non-identity problem: a puzzle about our obligations to people who do not yet exist. Our actions sometimes have an effect not only on the quality of life that people will enjoy in the future, but on which particular people will exist in the future to enjoy it. In cases where this is so, the combination of certain assumptions that most people seem to accept can yield conclusions that most people seem to reject. The non-identity problem has important implications both for ethical theory and for a number of topics in applied ethics, including controversial issues in bioethics, environmental ethics and disability ethics. It has been the subject of a great deal of discussion for nearly four decades, but this is the first book-length study devoted exclusively to its examination. Boonin begins by explaining what the problem is, why the problem matters, and what criteria a solution to the problem must satisfy in order to count as a successful one. He then provides a critical survey of the solutions to the problem that have thus far been proposed in the sizeable literature that the problem has generated and concludes by developing and defending an unorthodox alternative solution, one that differs fundamentally from virtually every other available approach. David Boonin's new book provides a wonderful opportunity to take a fresh look at what is perhaps the most important problem ever to arise within the area of population ethics. Brilliantly argued, perfectly organized, fascinating in content and accessible to a broad range of readers, The Non-Identity Problem and the Ethics of Future People marks a critical turning point in our efforts to understand the structure of moral law. Melinda A. Roberts, The College of New Jersey, co-author of Harming Future Persons For almost forty years, philosophers have searched for an explanation of why it is wrong for us to bring about the existence of worse- rather than better-off people. In this thorough and methodical book, David Boonin argues that this search is misguided. He systematically reviews all the explanations that have been offered (at least all I know of), and makes a strong case that they either fail to explain the assumed wrong or explain it in ways that have even more implausible implications than denying the wrong. Some books are seminal, opening up a new field or inquiry; this book could be called terminal, cogently arguing that we abandon a search that has been pursued with great resourcefulness and tenacity. Boonin leaves us with a conclusion that many will find disturbing, but some will find liberating: that we face far fewer moral constraints in the creation of future people than we commonly suppose David WassermanPreface ; 1. Five Plausible Premises and One Implausible Conclusion ; 2. Rejecting the First Premise ; 3. Rejecting the Second Premise ; 4. Rejecting the Third Premise ; 5. Rejecting the Fourth Premise ; 6. Rejecting the Fifth Premise ; 7. Accepting the Conclusion ; Appendices ; Bibliography ; Index