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The Unhappy Conclusion

2025/09/30 by Patrick McKee · 1 voice
Computer Science · #Library Science and Information Systems

paper · doi:10.16995/fe.18353

openalex publication_date 2025/09/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21

Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.I argue that it is better to live an extremely long, drab life than a happy life of normal length. I rely on four premises, concerning (1) the separability of well-being in time, (2) the circumstances in which we should prolong someone's life, (3) the shape-of-a-life hypothesis, and (4) tradeoffs between different levels of well-being within a life. I show that the conclusion has implications for the Millian lexical superiority view and for population ethics.

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