The two-tier problem

Journal article

A number of philosophers argue for a Two-Tier view: that there is some difference between individual-affecting and non-individual affecting choices. But it is challenging to know the degree of moral difference, and to determine for some cases into which category they fall. I refer to this as the “Two Tier problem”. In this paper, I develop and defend a “Two-Tier Deontic View”. On that view, the higher tier applies to a subset of individual-affecting cases. We have stronger reason to bring about an individual-affecting rather than a non-individual affecting benefit, but only in cases where we have agent-relative duties to the individuals so-affected. In other cases (and I argue that this applies to most policy decisions affecting reproduction) there is no moral difference between individual and non-individual affecting choices.

Authors: Wilkinson, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers
• Journal: Journal of Moral Philosophy
• Publication date: 2024-10-15
• Acceptance date: 2024-09-04
• DOI: 10.1163/17455243-21050021
• EISSN: 1745-5243
• ISSN: 1740-4681
• Language: English
• Keywords: non-identity; harm; genetics; reproduction; ethics