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Reasons and Persons

Book by Derek Parfit · 2 quotes · Atheism, Consequentialism, Ethics And Moral Philosophy

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All Atheism Consequentialism Ethics And Moral Philosophy Imperceptible Effects Optimism

Reasons and Persons Quotes

“Disbelief in God, openly admitted by a majority, is a recent event, not yet completed. Because this event is so recent, Non-Religious Ethics is at a very early stage. We cannot yet predict whether, as in Mathematics, we will all reach agreement. Since we cannot know how Ethics will develop, it is not irrational to have high hopes.”

Atheism Optimism Ethics And Moral Philosophy

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“Until this century, most of mankind lived in small communities. What each did could affect only a few others. But conditions have now changed. Each of us can now, in countless ways, affect countless other people. We can have real though small effects on thousands or millions of people. When these effects are widely dispersed, they may be either trivial, or imperceptible. It now makes a great difference whether we continue to believe that we cannot have greatly harmed or benefited others unless there are people with obvious grounds for resentment or gratitude.”

Consequentialism Imperceptible Effects

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