Choice Group Seminar by Jessica Fischer (LMU): ‘Consequentialism and the Separateness of Persons’

Abstract: It is often said that consequentialism violates the separateness of persons. But what does this mean? Many different interpretations have been offered, and yet the core of the separateness of persons objection remains unclear. This paper explores an alternative interpretation of the separateness of persons objection. Note that consequentialism determines principles of right action by looking at features such as states of affairs, outcomes, or amounts of goodness. Such features, however, make reference to more than one individual at a time, thus effectively grouping together different people. On the proposal of this paper, it is this aspect of consequentialist theories that violates the separateness of persons.

Jessica Fischer is a Leverhulme postdoctoral fellow at the Chair for Practical Philosophy and Ethics (LMU). Before that, she pursued a research fellowship at the Justitia Center for Advanced Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt and completed her PhD in Philosophy at University College London.

This event will take place in person on LSE’s campus. However, those unable to attend in person will have the option of taking part online.

To join online just follow these instructions:

• Download Zoom
• Zoom link for this for this meeting: https://lse.zoom.us/j/6613924533 

Please note that these events are routinely recorded, with the edited footage being made publicly available on our website and YouTube channel. We will only record the audio, the slides and the speaker and will not include the Q&A section. However, any question asked during the talk itself will feature in the final edit.