An Interdisciplinary Examination of Societal Well-being: The Economic Approach to the Repugnant Conclusion

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/9880vs48x

Abstract

This research demonstrates the benefits of combining interdisciplinary thinking in understanding theories of well-being. As a case study, I outline the premises of the Benign Addition Argument to address the “problem of population axiology,” with a related thesis known as the Repugnant Conclusion. This depiction allows me to provide economic objections to philosophical theories on population axiology, such as Anti-Non-Anti-Egalitarianism, and the Intransitivity of Group Preferences. I answer: Would Economic and Philosophical theories of social well-being improve if the methodologies of the disciplines were combined, and if competing theories are examined together? I hypothesized the study of economics would confront intuitively false paradoxes in philosophy, and philosophy would provide stronger economic conclusions. Importantly, assumptions play a large role in analyzing both economic and philosophical theories and can be used to explain pre existing differences in the interpretation of Benign Addition. I propose a universalist interpretation of wellbeing, maximizing the applicability and practicality of happiness studies while strengthening common-place intuitions.

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