The philosophy of value: selected essays on theory and practice

"This book is a selection from those of my published papers that are concerned with value. Some deal with general theoretical issues, such as the foundations of utilitarianism and prioritarianism, the structure of incommensurate values and what is the ultimate source of value. Others take up more specific questions within the theory of value. Many are concerned with the value of people's lives. Among them are papers about the value of extending people's lives and, conversely, what we lose when we die. These lead to two papers that criticize the way lives are valued in practice, in cost-benefit analysis and in public health policy. A different aspect of the value of life is the value of bringing new lives into existence, which is the subject of population ethics. This book contains papers on the theory of population ethics, and goes on to some other theoretical aspects of the ethics of the future. It also contains several papers on climate change, which is the most important practical application"--