When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed. The loss of happy life for the first infant is outweighed by the gain of happier life for the second. Therefore, if killing the hemophiliac infant has no adverse effect on others, it would, according to the total view, be right to kill him.


Practical Ethics (ed. Cambridge University Press, 2011) - ISBN: 9781139496896


When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness...

When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness...

When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness...

When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness...