Chaos, ad infinitum

Abstract

Our universe is both chaotic and (most likely) infinite in space and time. But it is within this setting that we must make moral decisions. This presents problems. The first: due to our universe's chaotic nature, our actions often have long-lasting, unpredictable effects; and this means we typically cannot say which of two actions will turn out best in the long run. The second problem: due to the universe's infinite dimensions, and infinite population therein, we cannot compare outcomes by simply adding up their total moral values - those totals will typically be infinite or undefined. Each of these problems poses a threat to aggregative moral theories. But, for each, we have solutions: a proposal from Greaves let us overcome the problem of chaos, and proposals from the infinite aggregation literature let us overcome the problem of infinite value. But a further problem emerges. If our universe is both chaotic and infinite, those solutions no longer work - outcomes that are infinite and differ by chaotic effects are incomparable, even by those proposals. In this paper, I show that we can overcome this further problem. But, to do so, we must accept some peculiar implications about how aggregation works.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive

External links

  • This entry has no external links. Add one.
Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

  • Only published works are available at libraries.

Similar books and articles

Infinite aggregation.Hayden Wilkinson - 2021 - Dissertation, Australian National University
Infinite aggregation: expanded addition.Hayden Wilkinson - 2020 - Philosophical Studies 178 (6):1917-1949.
Infinite Aggregation and Risk.Hayden Wilkinson - 2023 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101 (2):340-359.
The complexity of recursive constraint satisfaction problems.Victor W. Marek & Jeffrey B. Remmel - 2010 - Annals of Pure and Applied Logic 161 (3):447-457.
Longtermism in an infinite world.Christian Tarsney & Hayden Wilkinson - 2025 - In Jacob Barrett, Hilary Greaves & David Thorstad, Essays on Longtermism: Present Action for the Distant Future. Oxford University Press.
Infinity in ethics (2nd edition).Peter Vallentyne & Daniel Rubio - 2019 - Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Some properties of infinite factorials.Nattapon Sonpanow & Pimpen Vejjajiva - 2018 - Mathematical Logic Quarterly 64 (3):201-206.

Analytics

Added to PP
2020-11-18

Downloads
271 (#106,897)

6 months
6 (#745,101)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Hayden Wilkinson
University of Oxford

Citations of this work

In Defense of Fanaticism.Hayden Wilkinson - 2022 - Ethics 132 (2):445-477.
Infinite Aggregation and Risk.Hayden Wilkinson - 2023 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101 (2):340-359.
Infinite aggregation.Hayden Wilkinson - 2021 - Dissertation, Australian National University
Infinite aggregation: expanded addition.Hayden Wilkinson - 2020 - Philosophical Studies 178 (6):1917-1949.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Against Denialism.John Broome - 2019 - The Monist 102 (1):110-129.
Infinite Aggregation and Risk.Hayden Wilkinson - 2023 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101 (2):340-359.
Cluelessness.Hilary Greaves - 2016 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 116 (3):311-339.
Consequentialism and Cluelessness.James Lenman - 2000 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 29 (4):342-370.

View all 19 references / Add more references