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Toward a Responsibility-Catering Prioritarian Ethical Theory of Risk
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Philosophy and History.
Umea Univ, Dept Hist Religious & Philosoph Studies, Humanisthuset, S-10044 Umea, Sweden..
2019 (English)In: Science and Engineering Ethics, ISSN 1353-3452, E-ISSN 1471-5546, Vol. 25, no 3, p. 655-670Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Standard tools used in societal risk management such as probabilistic risk analysis or cost-benefit analysis typically define risks in terms of only probabilities and consequences and assume a utilitarian approach to ethics that aims to maximize expected utility. The philosopher Carl F. Cranor has argued against this view by devising a list of plausible aspects of the acceptability of risks that points towards a non-consequentialist ethical theory of societal risk management. This paper revisits Cranor's list to argue that the alternative ethical theory responsibility-catering prioritarianism can accommodate the aspects identified by Cranor and that the elements in the list can be used to inform the details of how to view risks within this theory. An approach towards operationalizing the theory is proposed based on a prioritarian social welfare function that operates on responsibility-adjusted utilities. A responsibility-catering prioritarian ethical approach towards managing risks is a promising alternative to standard tools such as cost-benefit analysis.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2019. Vol. 25, no 3, p. 655-670
Keywords [en]
Philosophy of risk, Ethics, Responsibility, Responsibility-catering prioritarianism, Risk regulations, Risk management
National Category
Philosophy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-255325DOI: 10.1007/s11948-018-0036-2ISI: 000472938700001PubMedID: 29508127Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85045135600OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-255325DiVA, id: diva2:1340806
Note

QC 20190806

Available from: 2019-08-06 Created: 2019-08-06 Last updated: 2024-03-18Bibliographically approved

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Wikman-Svahn, Per

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CiteExportLink to record
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