Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T14:56:24.423Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

IS INCOMPARABILITY A PROBLEM FOR ANYONE?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2007

NIEN-HÊ HSIEH*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

The incomparability of alternatives is thought to pose a problem for justified choice, particularly for proponents of comparativism – the view that comparative facts about alternatives determine what one rationally ought to choose. As a solution, it has been argued that alternatives judged incomparable by one of the three standard comparative relations, “better than,” “worse than,” and “equally good,” are comparable by some fourth relation, such as “roughly equal” or “on a par.” This solution, however, comes at what many would regard as too high a cost – namely, rejection of the transitivity of the relation “at least as good as.” In this paper, I argue that proponents of comparativism need not incur this cost. I defend the possibility of justified choice between incomparable alternatives on grounds that comparativists can accept. The possibility of incomparability has been met with resistance, in part because of the intuitive appeal of comparativism. By defending the possibility of justified choice between incomparable alternatives on grounds that comparativists can accept, this paper supports further inquiry into the subject of incomparability.

Type
Essay
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Broome, J. 2000. Incommensurable values. In Well-being and morality: Essays in honor of James Griffin, ed. Crisp, R. and Hooker, B., 2138. Clarendon PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chang, R. 1997. Introduction. In Incommensurability, incomparability, and practical reason, ed. Chang, R., 134. Harvard University PressGoogle Scholar
Chang, R. 1998. Comparison and the justification of choice. University of Pennsylvania Law Review 146: 1569–98Google Scholar
Chang, R. 2002a. Making comparisons count. RoutledgeGoogle Scholar
Chang, R. 2002b. The possibility of parity. Ethics 112: 659–88Google Scholar
Gert, J. 2004. Value and parity. Ethics 114: 492510CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffin, J. 1986. Well-being. Oxford University PressGoogle Scholar
Griffin, J. 1997. Incommensurability: What's the problem? In Incommensurability, incom-parability, and practical reason, ed. Chang, R., 3551. Harvard University PressGoogle Scholar
Griffin, J. 2000. Replies. In Well-being and morality: Essays in honor of James Griffin, ed. Crisp, R. and Hooker, B., 281313. Clarendon PressGoogle Scholar
Hsieh, N. 2005. Equality, clumpiness, and incomparability. Utilitas 17: 180204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parfit, D. 1984. Reasons and persons. Paperback ed. with corrections. Oxford University Press, 1987Google Scholar
Qizilbash, M. 2002. Rationality, comparability and maximization. Economics and Philosophy 18: 141–56CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raz, J. 1986. The morality of freedom. Clarendon PressGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. 1997. Maximization and the act of choice. Econometrica 65: 745–79CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. 2000. Consequential evaluation and practical reason. Journal of Philosophy 98: 477502CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Temkin, L. 2000. An abortion argument. In Well-being and morality: Essays in honor of James Griffin, ed. Crisp, R. and Hooker, B., 263–79. Clarendon PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar