Alfred Harwood, Geometric Averaging in Consequentialist Ethics - PhilPapers

Sign in | Create an account PhilPapers PhilPeople PhilArchive PhilEvents PhilJobs New Topics Journals Submit material More PhilArchive Geometric Averaging in Consequentialist Ethics Alfred Harwood Abstract When faced with uncertainty, consequentialists often advocate choosing the option with the largest expected utility, as calculated using the arithmetic average. I provide some arguments to suggest that instead, one should consider choosing the option with the largest geometric average of utility. I explore the difference between these two approaches in a variety of ethical dilemmas and argue that geometric averaging has some appealing properties as a normative decision-making tool. Like Recommend Bookmark Cite Options Edit Categories Add categories Keywords Expected Value Geometric Averaging Consequentialism Pascal's Mugging Background Independence Ergodicity Economics Reprint years Links PhilArchive Download latest version from PhilArchive View this record on PhilArchive

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