Two Varieties of “Better-For” Judgements

Herissone-kelly, Peter N orcid iconORCID: 0000-0002-3292-5273 (2009) Two Varieties of “Better-For” Judgements. In: Harming Future Persons. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 35 . Springer, pp. 249-263. ISBN 978-1-4020-5696-3

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5697-0_12

Abstract

This paper argues against Julian Savulescu's principle of procreative beneficence. It maintains that prospective parents have no obligation at all to choose the child, out of a range of possible children, who is likely to lead the best life. This is because a standpoint that the author labels "the internal perspective" is a perfectly appropriate one for parents to adopt when thinking about their own future children. It is only policy makers who are obliged to take up an opposing standpoint--"the external perspective"--and to be motivated by the sorts of "better for" judgements that that perspective delivers.


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