Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Immortal Curiosity, Attila Tanyi, Karl Karlander

Attila Tanyi

The paper discusses Bernard Williams’ argument that immortality is rationally undesirable because it leads to insufferable boredom. We first spell out Williams’ argument in the form of a dilemma. We then show that the first horn of this dilemma, namely Williams’ requirement of the constancy of character of the immortal, is defensible. We next argue against a recent attempt that accepts the dilemma, but rejects the conclusion Williams draws from it. From these we conclude that blocking the second horn of the dilemma is the best way to respond to Williams. Our objection contends that Williams overlooks a basic feature …

Silencing Desires?, Attila Tanyi

Attila Tanyi

Mennyire Lehet Nehéz? A Túlzott Követelések Ellenvetésének Újszerű Megközelítései (‘How Hard Can It Get? Novel Approaches To The Overdemandingness Objection’), Attila Tanyi

Attila Tanyi

The paper begins with a detailed discussion of the Overdemandingness Objection to consequentialism. It argues that the best interpretation of the Objection is the one that focuses on reasons: consequentialism is overdemanding because it demands us, with decisive force, to do things that, intuitively, we do not have decisive reason to do. After this, the paper goes on to offer three – so far in the literature unpursued – responses to the Objection. The first puts forward a constitutive role of instutions in determining and, in face of the Objection, lowering the demands of consequentialism; the second argues that consequentialism …