Philosophy Talk: Eden Lin (The Ohio State Univ.)

Eden Lin, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University, will be giving a talk titled: "The Experience Requirement". For more information on Eden, please visit his website.

Abstract:

According to the experience requirement on well-being, nothing can affect a subject’s level of welfare or well-being unless it affects that subject’s experiences. My aim is to determine whether a compelling case can be made for this requirement. After clarifying what it says and what role it plays in debates about well-being, I argue that the two existing arguments for it are not persuasive. Then, I introduce a more promising argument: that unless we accept it, we cannot plausibly explain why only sentient beings are welfare subjects. I argue that even this argument can be answered. Because there do not appear to be other reasons to accept the requirement, I tentatively conclude that no compelling case can be made for it.