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user-inactivated  ·  3241 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Repugnant Conclusion

The problem with the NAP is that "aggression" is not particularly well-defined. In many cases, a sin of omission (refusing to do something good/necessary) can be just as damaging as a sin of commission (doing something bad). If I find someone in cardiac arrest lying on the sidewalk, I may be "aggressing" them (even breaking their ribs) by performing CPR, but it's probably the right thing to do. Of course, if that person desperately wished to die, my CPR would be far less welcome. "Aggression" is subjective too.

Plus: the NAP isn't close to useful when it comes to answering textbook moral cases like the Trolley Problem, or the problem of moral luck.