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Mere addition paradox - Wikipedia
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class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Utilitarianism" title="Category:Utilitarianism">a series</a> on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle" style="font-size:180%;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Utilitarianism" title="Utilitarianism">Utilitarianism</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)">Predecessors</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="plainlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mozi" title="Mozi">Mozi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shantideva" title="Shantideva">Shantideva</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/David_Hume" title="David Hume">David Hume</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Claude_Adrien_Helv%C3%A9tius" title="Claude Adrien Helvétius">Claude Adrien Helvétius</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cesare_Beccaria" title="Cesare Beccaria">Cesare Beccaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/William_Godwin" title="William Godwin">William Godwin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Francis_Hutcheson_(philosopher)" title="Francis Hutcheson (philosopher)">Francis Hutcheson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/William_Paley" title="William Paley">William Paley</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/List_of_utilitarians" title="List of utilitarians">Key proponents</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="plainlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham" title="Jeremy Bentham">Jeremy Bentham</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill" title="John Stuart Mill">John Stuart Mill</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Henry_Sidgwick" title="Henry Sidgwick">Henry Sidgwick</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/R._M._Hare" title="R. M. Hare">R. M. Hare</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Peter_Singer" title="Peter Singer">Peter Singer</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)">Types of utilitarianism</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Negative_utilitarianism" title="Negative utilitarianism">Negative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rule_utilitarianism" title="Rule utilitarianism">Rule</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Act_utilitarianism" title="Act utilitarianism">Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Two-level_utilitarianism" title="Two-level utilitarianism">Two-level</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Total_utilitarianism" class="mw-redirect" title="Total utilitarianism">Total</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Average_utilitarianism" class="mw-redirect" title="Average utilitarianism">Average</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Preference_utilitarianism" title="Preference utilitarianism">Preference</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utilitarianism#Classical_utilitarianism" title="Utilitarianism">Classical</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)">Key concepts</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Pain" title="Pain">Pain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suffering" title="Suffering">Suffering</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pleasure" title="Pleasure">Pleasure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utility" title="Utility">Utility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Happiness" title="Happiness">Happiness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eudaimonia" title="Eudaimonia">Eudaimonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Consequentialism" title="Consequentialism">Consequentialism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Equal_consideration_of_interests" title="Equal consideration of interests">Equal consideration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Felicific_calculus" title="Felicific calculus">Felicific calculus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utilitarian_social_choice_rule" class="mw-redirect" title="Utilitarian social choice rule">Utilitarian social choice rule</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)">Problems</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="plainlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Demandingness_objection" title="Demandingness objection">Demandingness objection</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Mere addition paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_hedonism" title="Paradox of hedonism">Paradox of hedonism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Replaceability_argument" title="Replaceability argument">Replaceability argument</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utility_monster" title="Utility monster">Utility monster</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:left;padding-left:0.3em;;color: var(--color-base)">Related topics</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="plainlist"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rational_choice_theory" class="mw-redirect" title="Rational choice theory">Rational choice theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Game_theory" title="Game theory">Game theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neoclassical_economics" title="Neoclassical economics">Neoclassical economics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_ethics" title="Population ethics">Population ethics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Effective_altruism" title="Effective altruism">Effective altruism</a></li></ul> </div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below"> <a href="/wiki/Portal:Philosophy" title="Portal:Philosophy">Philosophy portal</a></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Utilitarianism" title="Template:Utilitarianism"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Utilitarianism" title="Template talk:Utilitarianism"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Utilitarianism" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Utilitarianism"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The <b>mere addition paradox</b> (also known as the <b>repugnant conclusion</b>) is a problem in <a href="/wiki/Ethics" title="Ethics">ethics</a> identified by <a href="/wiki/Derek_Parfit" title="Derek Parfit">Derek Parfit</a> and discussed in his book <i><a href="/wiki/Reasons_and_Persons" title="Reasons and Persons">Reasons and Persons</a></i> (1984). The paradox identifies the mutual incompatibility of four intuitively compelling assertions about the relative value of populations. Parfit’s original formulation of the repugnant conclusion is that "For any perfectly equal population with very high positive welfare, there is a population with very low positive welfare which is better, other things being equal."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_paradox">The paradox</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: The paradox"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Parfit considers four populations, as depicted in the following diagram: A, A+, B− and B. Each bar represents a distinct group of people. The bars' width represents group size while the bar's height represents group <a href="/wiki/Happiness" title="Happiness">happiness</a>. Unlike A and B, A+ and B− are complex populations, each comprising two distinct groups of people. It is also stipulated that the lives of the members of each group are good enough that they would rather be alive than not exist.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:MereAddition.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/MereAddition.svg/500px-MereAddition.svg.png" decoding="async" width="500" height="200" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/MereAddition.svg/750px-MereAddition.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/MereAddition.svg/1000px-MereAddition.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="200" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Parfit makes the following three suggestions regarding the value of the populations: </p> <dl><dd><dl><dd><b>1.</b> A+ seems no worse than A. This is because the people in A are no worse-off in A+, while the additional people who exist in A+ are better off in A+ compared to A, since it is stipulated that their lives are good enough that it is better for them to be alive than to not exist.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd><b>2.</b> B− seems better than A+. This is because B− has greater total and average happiness than A+.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd><b>3.</b> B seems equally as good as B−, as the only difference between B− and B is that the two groups in B− are merged to form one group in B.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>Together, these three comparisons entail that B is better than A. However, Parfit also observes the following: </p> <dl><dd><dl><dd><b>4.</b> When we directly compare A (a population with high average happiness) and B (a population with lower average happiness, but more total happiness because of its larger population), it may seem that B can be worse than A.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>Thus, there is a paradox. The following intuitively plausible claims are jointly incompatible: (1) that A+ is no worse than A, (2) that B− is better than A+, (3) that B− is as good as B, and (4) that B can be worse than A. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Responses">Responses</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Responses"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Some scholars, such as <a href="/wiki/Larry_Temkin" title="Larry Temkin">Larry Temkin</a> and Stuart Rachels, argue that inconsistencies between the four claims (above) rely on the assumption that the "better than" relation is <a href="/wiki/Transitive_relation" title="Transitive relation">transitive</a>. The inconsistency could then be resolved by rejecting the assumption. According to this view, although A+ is no worse than A, and B− is better than A+, it does not follow that B− is better than A.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Torbj%C3%B6rn_T%C3%A4nnsj%C3%B6" title="Torbjörn Tännsjö">Torbjörn Tännsjö</a> argues that the intuition that B is worse than A is wrong. While the lives of those in B are worse than those in A, there are more of them, and thus the collective value of B is greater than A.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Michael_Huemer" title="Michael Huemer">Michael Huemer</a> also argues that the repugnant conclusion is not repugnant.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, Parfit argues that the above discussion fails to appreciate the true source of repugnance. He claims that initially, it may not be wrong to think that B is better than A. Assuming this is true, as Huemer argues, it follows that this revised intuition must hold in subsequent iterations of the original steps. For example, the next iteration would add even more people to B+, and then take the average of the total happiness, resulting in C−. If these steps are repeated over and over, the eventual result will be Z, a massive population with the minimum level of average happiness; this would be a population in which every member is leading a life barely worth living. Parfit claims that it is Z that is the repugnant conclusion.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A number of philosophers (including <a href="/wiki/Torbj%C3%B6rn_T%C3%A4nnsj%C3%B6" title="Torbjörn Tännsjö">Torbjörn Tännsjö</a>, <a href="/wiki/Yew-Kwang_Ng" title="Yew-Kwang Ng">Yew-Kwang Ng</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hilary_Greaves" title="Hilary Greaves">Hilary Greaves</a> and <a href="/wiki/Toby_Ord" title="Toby Ord">Toby Ord</a>) have agreed that avoiding the repugnant conclusion is not a necessary property of a satisfactory theory of <a href="/wiki/Population_ethics" title="Population ethics">population ethics</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Another response is the conclusion that <a href="/wiki/Average_and_total_utilitarianism" title="Average and total utilitarianism">total utilitarianism</a> must be rejected in favour of <a href="/wiki/Average_and_total_utilitarianism" title="Average and total utilitarianism">average utilitarianism</a>, which would result in situation A+ being evaluated as worse than A, as the average happiness is lower.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Variants">Variants</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Variants"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <b>Very Repugnant Conclusion</b><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is a property of theories of population ethics that is a stronger version of the repugnant conclusion. It states that according to some ethical theories, for any population where everyone has very high well-being, there exists a better population consisting of two groups: a significant number of people with very negative well-being, and a much larger number of people having barely positive welfare.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Alternative_usage">Alternative usage</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Alternative usage"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>An alternative use of the term <i>mere addition paradox</i> was presented in a paper by Hassoun in 2010.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It identifies paradoxical reasoning that occurs when certain statistical measures are used to calculate results over a population. For example, if a group of 100 people together control $100 worth of resources, the average wealth per capita is $1. If a single rich person then arrives with 1 million dollars, then the total group of 101 people controls $1,000,100, making average wealth per capita $9,901, implying a drastic shift away from poverty even though nothing has changed for the original 100 people. Hassoun defines a <i>no mere addition axiom</i> to be used for judging such statistical measures: "merely adding a rich person to a population should not decrease poverty" (although acknowledging that in actual practice adding rich people to a population may provide some benefit to the whole population). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/A_Theory_of_Justice" title="A Theory of Justice">A Theory of Justice</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asymmetry_(population_ethics)" title="Asymmetry (population ethics)">Asymmetry (population ethics)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Average_and_total_utilitarianism" title="Average and total utilitarianism">Average and total utilitarianism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrying_capacity" title="Carrying capacity">Carrying capacity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ecological_footprint" title="Ecological footprint">Ecological footprint</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nonidentity_problem" title="Nonidentity problem">Nonidentity problem</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_overpopulation" title="Human overpopulation">Human overpopulation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Person-affecting_view" title="Person-affecting view">Person-affecting view</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sorites_paradox" title="Sorites paradox">Sorites paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Utility_monster" title="Utility monster">Utility monster</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Industrial_Revolution" title="Industrial Revolution">Industrial Revolution</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Derek_Parfit" title="Derek Parfit">Derek Parfit</a>, Reasons and Persons (<a href="/wiki/Clarendon_Press" class="mw-redirect" title="Clarendon Press">Clarendon Press</a>, 1984), p. 388.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFParfit1984" class="citation book cs1">Parfit, Derek (1984). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/reasonspersons00parf"><i>Reasons and Persons</i></a></span>. New York: Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0198249085" title="Special:BookSources/978-0198249085"><bdi>978-0198249085</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Reasons+and+Persons&rft.place=New+York&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=1984&rft.isbn=978-0198249085&rft.aulast=Parfit&rft.aufirst=Derek&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Freasonspersons00parf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFS._Temkin1987" class="citation journal cs1">S. Temkin, Larry (1987). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://philpapers.org/rec/TEMIAT">"Intransitivity and the mere addition paradox"</a>. <i>Philosophy and Public Affairs</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Philosophy+and+Public+Affairs&rft.atitle=Intransitivity+and+the+mere+addition+paradox&rft.date=1987&rft.aulast=S.+Temkin&rft.aufirst=Larry&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fphilpapers.org%2Frec%2FTEMIAT&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRachels2001" class="citation journal cs1">Rachels, Stuart (2001). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://philpapers.org/rec/RACASO">"A set of solutions to Parfit's problems"</a>. <i>Noûs</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=No%C3%BBs&rft.atitle=A+set+of+solutions+to+Parfit%27s+problems&rft.date=2001&rft.aulast=Rachels&rft.aufirst=Stuart&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fphilpapers.org%2Frec%2FRACASO&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTorbjörn2002" class="citation journal cs1">Torbjörn, Tännsjö (November 2002). "Why We Ought to Accept the Repugnant Conclusion". <i>Utilitas</i>. <b>14</b> (3): 339–359. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0953820800003642">10.1017/S0953820800003642</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:233360601">233360601</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Utilitas&rft.atitle=Why+We+Ought+to+Accept+the+Repugnant+Conclusion&rft.volume=14&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=339-359&rft.date=2002-11&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS0953820800003642&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A233360601%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.aulast=Torbj%C3%B6rn&rft.aufirst=T%C3%A4nnsj%C3%B6&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> Huemer, M. (2008), "In defence of repugnance" Mind, 117, 899-933. </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZuberVenkateshTännsjöTarsney2021" class="citation journal cs1">Zuber, Stéphane; Venkatesh, Nikhil; Tännsjö, Torbjörn; Tarsney, Christian; Stefánsson, H. Orri; Steele, Katie; Spears, Dean; Sebo, Jeff; Pivato, Marcus; Ord, Toby; Ng, Yew-Kwang; Masny, Michal; MacAskill, William; Lawson, Nicholas; Kuruc, Kevin (2021-04-13). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/utilitas/article/what-should-we-agree-on-about-the-repugnant-conclusion/EB52C686BAFEF490CE37043A0A3DD075">"What Should We Agree on about the Repugnant Conclusion?"</a>. <i>Utilitas</i>. <b>33</b> (4): 379–383. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS095382082100011X">10.1017/S095382082100011X</a>. <a href="/wiki/Hdl_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hdl (identifier)">hdl</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://hdl.handle.net/10852%2F90849">10852/90849</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0953-8208">0953-8208</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Utilitas&rft.atitle=What+Should+We+Agree+on+about+the+Repugnant+Conclusion%3F&rft.volume=33&rft.issue=4&rft.pages=379-383&rft.date=2021-04-13&rft_id=info%3Ahdl%2F10852%2F90849&rft.issn=0953-8208&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS095382082100011X&rft.aulast=Zuber&rft.aufirst=St%C3%A9phane&rft.au=Venkatesh%2C+Nikhil&rft.au=T%C3%A4nnsj%C3%B6%2C+Torbj%C3%B6rn&rft.au=Tarsney%2C+Christian&rft.au=Stef%C3%A1nsson%2C+H.+Orri&rft.au=Steele%2C+Katie&rft.au=Spears%2C+Dean&rft.au=Sebo%2C+Jeff&rft.au=Pivato%2C+Marcus&rft.au=Ord%2C+Toby&rft.au=Ng%2C+Yew-Kwang&rft.au=Masny%2C+Michal&rft.au=MacAskill%2C+William&rft.au=Lawson%2C+Nicholas&rft.au=Kuruc%2C+Kevin&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridge.org%2Fcore%2Fjournals%2Futilitas%2Farticle%2Fwhat-should-we-agree-on-about-the-repugnant-conclusion%2FEB52C686BAFEF490CE37043A0A3DD075&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/repugnant-conclusion/">"The Repugnant Conclusion"</a>. <i>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Stanford+Encyclopedia+of+Philosophy&rft.atitle=The+Repugnant+Conclusion&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fplato.stanford.edu%2Fentries%2Frepugnant-conclusion%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFArrhenius2024" class="citation web cs1">Arrhenius, Gustaf (2024-07-12) [2003]. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://philpapers.org/rec/ARRTVR">"The Very Repugnant Conclusion"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Very+Repugnant+Conclusion&rft.date=2024-07-12&rft.aulast=Arrhenius&rft.aufirst=Gustaf&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fphilpapers.org%2Frec%2FARRTVR&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBuldolfsonSpears2020" class="citation web cs1">Buldolfson, Mark; Spears, Dean (2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Why-the-Repugnant-Conclusion-is-Inescapable-Budolfson-Spears/1e3b8fc2f088b6e4e41b14690a347c28a801419c">"Why the Repugnant Conclusion is Inescapable"</a>. <i>Semantic Scholar</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2024-07-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Semantic+Scholar&rft.atitle=Why+the+Repugnant+Conclusion+is+Inescapable&rft.date=2020&rft.aulast=Buldolfson&rft.aufirst=Mark&rft.au=Spears%2C+Dean&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.semanticscholar.org%2Fpaper%2FWhy-the-Repugnant-Conclusion-is-Inescapable-Budolfson-Spears%2F1e3b8fc2f088b6e4e41b14690a347c28a801419c&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2010/en_GB/wp2010-120/"><i>Another Mere Addition Paradox? Some Reflections on Variable Population Poverty Measurement</i></a>. UNU-WIDER. November 2010. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-92-9230-358-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-92-9230-358-7"><bdi>978-92-9230-358-7</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">31 March</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Another+Mere+Addition+Paradox%3F+Some+Reflections+on+Variable+Population+Poverty+Measurement&rft.pub=UNU-WIDER&rft.date=2010-11&rft.isbn=978-92-9230-358-7&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wider.unu.edu%2Fpublications%2Fworking-papers%2F2010%2Fen_GB%2Fwp2010-120%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMere+addition+paradox" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Parfit, Derek. <i><a href="/wiki/Reasons_and_Persons" title="Reasons and Persons">Reasons and Persons</a></i>, ch. 17 and 19. <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a> 1986.</li> <li>Ryberg, Jesper & Tännsjö, Torbjorn (eds.). <i>The Repugnant Conclusion. Essays on Population Ethics</i>. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004 .</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Larry_Temkin" title="Larry Temkin">Temkin, Larry</a>. "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/pss/2265425">Intransitivity and the Mere Addition Paradox</a>", <i>Philosophy and Public Affairs</i>. 16 (2) (Spring 1987): 138–187</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Torbj%C3%B6rn_T%C3%A4nnsj%C3%B6" title="Torbjörn Tännsjö">Tännsjö, Torbjörn</a>. <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0748610421">Hedonistic Utilitarianism</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/Edinburgh_University_Press" title="Edinburgh University Press">Edinburgh University Press</a> 1998.</li> <li>Hassoun, Nicole. <i>Another Mere Addition Paradox</i>, UNU-WIDER Working Paper 2010, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2010/en_GB/wp2010-120/">[1]</a>.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Mere_addition_paradox&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/repugnant-conclusion/">The Repugnant Conclusion</a> (<i><a href="/wiki/Stanford_Encyclopedia_of_Philosophy" title="Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy">Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</a></i>)</li> <li>Contestabile, Bruno. <i>On the Buddhist Truths and the Paradoxes in Population Ethics</i>, Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 11 Issue 1, pp. 103–113, Routledge 2010</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox 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class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Paradoxes" title="Template:Paradoxes"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Paradoxes" title="Template talk:Paradoxes"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Paradoxes" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Paradoxes"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Notable_paradoxes" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Notable <a href="/wiki/Paradox" title="Paradox">paradoxes</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Philosophical</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_analysis" title="Paradox of analysis">Analysis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Buridan%27s_bridge" title="Buridan's bridge">Buridan's bridge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dream_argument" title="Dream argument">Dream argument</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epicurean_paradox" title="Epicurean paradox">Epicurean</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_fiction" title="Paradox of fiction">Fiction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fitch%27s_paradox_of_knowability" title="Fitch's paradox of knowability">Fitch's knowability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Argument_from_free_will" title="Argument from free will">Free will</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_riddle_of_induction" title="New riddle of induction">Goodman's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_hedonism" title="Paradox of hedonism">Hedonism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liberal_paradox" title="Liberal paradox">Liberal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Meno" title="Meno">Meno's</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Mere addition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moore%27s_paradox" title="Moore's paradox">Moore's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Newcomb%27s_paradox" title="Newcomb's paradox">Newcomb's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_nihilism" title="Paradox of nihilism">Nihilism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Omnipotence_paradox" title="Omnipotence paradox">Omnipotence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Preface_paradox" title="Preface paradox">Preface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wittgenstein_on_Rules_and_Private_Language" title="Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language">Rule-following</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sorites_paradox" title="Sorites paradox">Sorites</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus" title="Ship of Theseus">Theseus' ship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/White_Horse_Dialogue" title="White Horse Dialogue">White horse</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes" title="Zeno's paradoxes">Zeno's</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Logical</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Barber_paradox" title="Barber paradox">Barber</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Berry_paradox" title="Berry paradox">Berry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bhartrhari%27s_paradox" class="mw-redirect" title="Bhartrhari's paradox">Bhartrhari's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Burali-Forti_paradox" title="Burali-Forti paradox">Burali-Forti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_the_Court" title="Paradox of the Court">Court</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Crocodile_dilemma" title="Crocodile dilemma">Crocodile</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Curry%27s_paradox" title="Curry's paradox">Curry's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epimenides_paradox" title="Epimenides paradox">Epimenides</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Free_choice_inference" title="Free choice inference">Free choice paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grelling%E2%80%93Nelson_paradox" title="Grelling–Nelson paradox">Grelling–Nelson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kleene%E2%80%93Rosser_paradox" title="Kleene–Rosser paradox">Kleene–Rosser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liar_paradox" title="Liar paradox">Liar</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Card_paradox" title="Card paradox">Card</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/No%E2%80%93no_paradox" title="No–no paradox">No-no</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pinocchio_paradox" title="Pinocchio paradox">Pinocchio</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quine%27s_paradox" title="Quine's paradox">Quine's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Yablo%27s_paradox" class="mw-redirect" title="Yablo's paradox">Yablo's</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Opposite_Day" title="Opposite Day">Opposite Day</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradoxes_of_set_theory" title="Paradoxes of set theory">Paradoxes of set theory</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Richard%27s_paradox" title="Richard's paradox">Richard's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russell%27s_paradox" title="Russell's paradox">Russell's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/I_know_that_I_know_nothing" title="I know that I know nothing">Socratic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hilbert%27s_paradox_of_the_Grand_Hotel" title="Hilbert's paradox of the Grand Hotel">Hilbert's Hotel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Temperature_paradox" title="Temperature paradox">Temperature paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Barbershop_paradox" title="Barbershop paradox">Barbershop</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Catch-22_(logic)" title="Catch-22 (logic)">Catch-22</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chicken_or_the_egg" title="Chicken or the egg">Chicken or the egg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Drinker_paradox" title="Drinker paradox">Drinker</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradoxes_of_material_implication" title="Paradoxes of material implication">Entailment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lottery_paradox" title="Lottery paradox">Lottery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plato%27s_beard" title="Plato's beard">Plato's beard</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Raven_paradox" title="Raven paradox">Raven</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imperative_logic#Ross's_paradox" title="Imperative logic">Ross's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unexpected_hanging_paradox" title="Unexpected hanging paradox">Unexpected hanging</a></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/What_the_Tortoise_Said_to_Achilles" title="What the Tortoise Said to Achilles">What the Tortoise Said to Achilles</a>"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Heat_death_paradox" title="Heat death paradox">Heat death paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Olbers%27s_paradox" title="Olbers's paradox">Olbers's paradox</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Economic</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Allais_paradox" title="Allais paradox">Allais</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Antitrust_Paradox" title="The Antitrust Paradox">Antitrust</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arrow_information_paradox" title="Arrow information paradox">Arrow information</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bertrand_paradox_(economics)" title="Bertrand paradox (economics)">Bertrand</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Braess%27s_paradox" title="Braess's paradox">Braess's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_competition" title="Paradox of competition">Competition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Income_and_fertility" title="Income and fertility">Income and fertility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Downs%E2%80%93Thomson_paradox" title="Downs–Thomson paradox">Downs–Thomson</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Easterlin_paradox" title="Easterlin paradox">Easterlin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Edgeworth_paradox" title="Edgeworth paradox">Edgeworth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ellsberg_paradox" title="Ellsberg paradox">Ellsberg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_paradox" title="European paradox">European</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gibson%27s_paradox" title="Gibson's paradox">Gibson's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Giffen_good" title="Giffen good">Giffen good</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Icarus_paradox" title="Icarus paradox">Icarus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jevons_paradox" title="Jevons paradox">Jevons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Leontief_paradox" title="Leontief paradox">Leontief</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lerner_paradox" title="Lerner paradox">Lerner</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lucas_paradox" title="Lucas paradox">Lucas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mandeville%27s_paradox" title="Mandeville's paradox">Mandeville's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mayfield%27s_paradox" title="Mayfield's paradox">Mayfield's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Metzler_paradox" title="Metzler paradox">Metzler</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Resource_curse" title="Resource curse">Plenty</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Productivity_paradox" title="Productivity paradox">Productivity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_prosperity" title="Paradox of prosperity">Prosperity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scitovsky_paradox" title="Scitovsky paradox">Scitovsky</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Service_recovery_paradox" title="Service recovery paradox">Service recovery</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/St._Petersburg_paradox" title="St. Petersburg paradox">St. Petersburg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_thrift" title="Paradox of thrift">Thrift</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_toil" title="Paradox of toil">Toil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tullock_paradox" class="mw-redirect" title="Tullock paradox">Tullock</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_value" title="Paradox of value">Value</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Decision theory</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Abilene_paradox" title="Abilene paradox">Abilene</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Apportionment_paradox" title="Apportionment paradox">Apportionment</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/House_monotonicity" title="House monotonicity">Alabama</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coherence_(fairness)" title="Coherence (fairness)">New states</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/State-population_monotonicity" class="mw-redirect" title="State-population monotonicity">Population</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arrow%27s_impossibility_theorem" title="Arrow's impossibility theorem">Arrow's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass" title="Buridan's ass">Buridan's ass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chainstore_paradox" title="Chainstore paradox">Chainstore</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Condorcet_paradox" title="Condorcet paradox">Condorcet's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Decision-making_paradox" title="Decision-making paradox">Decision-making</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_voting" title="Paradox of voting">Downs</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ellsberg_paradox" title="Ellsberg paradox">Ellsberg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fenno%27s_paradox" title="Fenno's paradox">Fenno's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fredkin%27s_paradox" title="Fredkin's paradox">Fredkin's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Green_Paradox" title="The Green Paradox">Green</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hedgehog%27s_dilemma" title="Hedgehog's dilemma">Hedgehog's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Inventor%27s_paradox" title="Inventor's paradox">Inventor's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kavka%27s_toxin_puzzle" title="Kavka's toxin puzzle">Kavka's toxin puzzle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Morton%27s_fork" title="Morton's fork">Morton's fork</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Navigation_paradox" title="Navigation paradox">Navigation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Newcomb%27s_paradox" title="Newcomb's paradox">Newcomb's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parrondo%27s_paradox" title="Parrondo's paradox">Parrondo's</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Preparedness_paradox" title="Preparedness paradox">Preparedness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prevention_paradox" title="Prevention paradox">Prevention</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma" title="Prisoner's dilemma">Prisoner's dilemma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance" title="Paradox of tolerance">Tolerance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Willpower_paradox" title="Willpower paradox">Willpower</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="List-Class article"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/16px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/23px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/db/Symbol_list_class.svg/31px-Symbol_list_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/wiki/List_of_paradoxes" title="List of paradoxes">List</a></li> <li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/23px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/31px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Category:Paradoxes" title="Category:Paradoxes">Category</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Population" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Population" title="Template:Population"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Population" title="Template talk:Population"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Population" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Population"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Population" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Population" title="Population">Population</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Major topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Demographics_of_the_world" title="Demographics of the world">Demographics of the world</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Demographic_transition" title="Demographic transition">Demographic transition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Estimates_of_historical_world_population" title="Estimates of historical world population">Estimates of historical world population</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_growth" title="Population growth">Population growth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_momentum" title="Population momentum">Population momentum</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Projections_of_population_growth" class="mw-redirect" title="Projections of population growth">Projections of population growth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_population" title="World population">World population</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/Population_biology" title="Population biology">Population<br />biology</a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Population_decline" title="Population decline">Population decline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_density" title="Population density">Population density</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Physiological_density" title="Physiological density">Physiological density</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_dynamics" title="Population dynamics">Population dynamics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_model" title="Population model">Population model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_pyramid" title="Population pyramid">Population pyramid</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/Population_ecology" title="Population ecology">Population<br />ecology</a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Biocapacity" title="Biocapacity">Biocapacity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrying_capacity" title="Carrying capacity">Carrying capacity</a></li> <li><span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/I_%3D_PAT" title="I = PAT">I = P × A × T</a></span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kaya_identity" title="Kaya identity">Kaya identity</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Malthusian_growth_model" title="Malthusian growth model">Malthusian growth model</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Overshoot_(population)" title="Overshoot (population)">Overshoot (population)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World3" title="World3">World3 model</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Society and<br /> population</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eugenics" title="Eugenics">Eugenics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dysgenics" title="Dysgenics"><i>Dys</i>genics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_overpopulation" title="Human overpopulation">Human overpopulation</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Malthusianism" title="Malthusianism">Malthusian catastrophe</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_population_planning" title="Human population planning">Human population planning</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Compulsory_sterilization" title="Compulsory sterilization">Compulsory sterilization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Family_planning" title="Family planning">Family planning</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/One-child_policy" title="One-child policy">One-child policy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Two-child_policy" title="Two-child policy">Two-child policy</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Overconsumption_(economics)" title="Overconsumption (economics)">Overconsumption</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Political_demography" title="Political demography">Political demography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_ethics" title="Population ethics">Population ethics</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Antinatalism" title="Antinatalism">Antinatalism</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Mere addition paradox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Natalism" title="Natalism">Natalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Non-identity_problem" class="mw-redirect" title="Non-identity problem">Non-identity problem</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reproductive_rights" title="Reproductive rights">Reproductive rights</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sustainable_population" title="Sustainable population">Sustainable population</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zero_population_growth" title="Zero population growth">Zero population growth</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Publications</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0;font-style:italic;"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Population_and_Environment" title="Population and Environment">Population and Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_and_Development_Review" title="Population and Development Review">Population and Development Review</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Lists</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Population_and_housing_censuses_by_country" title="Population and housing censuses by country">Population and housing censuses by country</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_largest_cities" title="List of largest cities">Largest cities</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_population_milestones" title="World population milestones">World population milestones</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Day_of_Six_Billion" title="Day of Six Billion">6 billion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Day_of_Seven_Billion" title="Day of Seven Billion">7</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Day_of_Eight_Billion" title="Day of Eight Billion">8</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_population_concern_organizations" title="List of population concern organizations">Population concern organizations</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Events and<br />organizations</div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/7_Billion_Actions" title="7 Billion Actions">7 Billion Actions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Church_of_Euthanasia" title="Church of Euthanasia">Church of Euthanasia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/International_Conference_on_Population_and_Development" title="International Conference on Population and Development">International Conference on Population and Development</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_Action_International" title="Population Action International">Population Action International</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_Connection" title="Population Connection">Population Connection</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Population_Matters" title="Population Matters">Population Matters</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Nations_Population_Fund" title="United Nations Population Fund">United Nations Population Fund</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Nations_world_population_conferences" title="United Nations world population conferences">United Nations world population conferences</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voluntary_Human_Extinction_Movement" title="Voluntary Human Extinction Movement">Voluntary Human Extinction Movement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Population_Conference" title="World Population Conference">World Population Conference</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Population_Day" title="World Population Day">World Population Day</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Population_Foundation" title="World Population Foundation">World Population Foundation</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bennett%27s_law" title="Bennett's law">Bennett's law</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Green_Revolution" title="Green Revolution">Green Revolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_impact_on_the_environment" title="Human impact on the environment">Human impact on the environment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_migration" title="Human migration">Migration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sustainability" title="Sustainability">Sustainability</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow hlist" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Commons page"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/12px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/18px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/24px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></span></span> <b><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Human_populations" class="extiw" title="commons:Category:Human 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