Incommensurable Values

Henrik Andersson, Nien-he Hsieh

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingEntry for encyclopedia/dictionaryResearch

Abstract

Values, such as liberty and equality, are sometimes said to be incommensurable in the sense that their value cannot be reduced to a common measure. And options, such as studying to become a lawyer or studying to become a philosopher, are sometimes said to be incomparable in the sense that neither option seems to be at least as good as the other. These possibilities are thought to raise deep questions about practical reason and rational choice as well as related questions concerning topics as diverse as akrasia, moral dilemmas, the plausibility of utilitarianism, and the foundations of liberalism. This entry outlines answers in the contemporary literature to these questions, starting with questions about the nature and possibility of these phenomena.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
PublisherStanford University
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Publication series

NameStanford encyclopedia of philosophy
PublisherStanford University
ISSN (Electronic)1095-5054

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Philosophy

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