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Beneficence: Does Agglomeration Matter?
Author(s) -
Forcehimes Andrew T.,
Semrau Luke
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.339
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5930
pISSN - 0264-3758
DOI - 10.1111/japp.12276
Subject(s) - beneficence , appeal , morality , duty , economies of agglomeration , class (philosophy) , economic justice , sociology , law and economics , law , epistemology , economics , political science , philosophy , autonomy , microeconomics
When it comes to the duty of beneficence, a formidable class of moderate positions holds that morally significant considerations emerge when one's actions are seen as part of a larger series. Agglomeration, according to these moderates, limits the demands of beneficence, thereby avoiding the extremely demanding view forcefully defended by Peter Singer. This idea has much appeal. What morality can demand of people is, it seems, appropriately modulated by how much they have already done or will do. Here we examine a number of recent proposals that appeal to agglomeration. None of them, we argue, succeeds.