10 Moral Paradoxes

If a severe misfortune makes your life better, was it unfortunate? Could it be that 50% of competent medical doctors ought promptly to retire? Might a justice system threaten with unjust punishment, to avert the need for punishment? Could things become too good, morally? Can terrorists morally complain if innocent people they care about are harmed? The importance of paradox in the study of philosophy, from metaphysics to logic, is evident from the abundant literature on the subject. But until now, very little critical study of paradox within ethics has been available. The first of its kind, this cutting edge work of philosophical ethics makes a powerful case for the centrality of moral paradox. Presenting ten diverse and original moral paradoxes, the book challenges some of our deepest moral views. This innovative volume also asks whether the existence of moral paradox is damaging or beneficial, and explores more generally what paradoxicality can teach us about morality and life. Concise and provocative, 10 Moral Paradoxes presents analytic moral philosophy in an engaging way; posing new questions, proposing possible solutions, and challenging the reader to wrestle with the paradoxes.

List of Figures viii Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 Fortunate Misfortune 11 2 The Paradox of Beneficial Retirement 23 3 Two Paradoxes about Justice and the Severity of Punishment 33 4 Blackmail: The Solution 42 5 The Paradox of Non–Punishment 50 6 On Not Being Sorry about the Morally Bad 59 7 Choice–Egalitarianism and the Paradox of the Baseline 67 8 Morality and Moral Worth 77 9 The Paradox of Moral Complaint 90 10 Preferring Not to Have Been Born 100 11 A Meta–Paradox: Are Paradoxes Bad? 113 12 Reflections on Moral Paradox 122 Postscript: The Future and Moral Paradox 134 References 138 Index 142

Saul Smilansky is a professor in the department of philosophy at the University of Haifa, Israel. He is the author of the widely acclaimed book, Free Will and Illusion (2000) and has published articles in many of the leading philosophical journals.

"This is an excellent book which I recommend wholeheartedly both as a source of beneficial thought experiments for the professional moral philosopher, and as a better stimulus for the student of moral philosophy than any theory–focused book could possibly be . . . It is clearly, elegantly and succinctly written, it is provocative and sometimes perplexing without ever crossing the line into the melodramatic or the precious and, perhaps best of all, it promotes tentative conclusions whilst leaving the reader plenty of space to pursue each of the issues further for herself." (The Analysis Trust, 3 July 2011) “Smilansky’s examples are freshly minted… They’re thought provoking, and Smilansky’s discussion is a pleasure… [I]f we take morality seriously, we need to reflect with open minds about the kinds of cases he describes, and finding views we can live with will constitute some kind of progress in our moral life.” (Mark Sainsbury FBA, Times Literary Supplement) “Saul Smilansky′s 10 Moral Paradoxes is a delightful book. The paradoxes are easy to appreciate and though it′s written in a light and accessible style, it still has plenty of philosophical heft. ” (Michael Cholbi, PEA Soup) “His writing is clear and lively. He avoids unnecessary technicalities. His ideas are grounded in vivid examples.” ( Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews , May 2009) “[B]rief, succinct, and a pleasure to read. Some of the chapters (for instance, the chapter on Fortunate Misfortune) would also make excellent reading for seminars on any undergraduate course… It is well worth reading.” ( Theoria)