In this paper we enrich the orthomodular structure by adding a modal operator, following a physical motivation. A logical system is developed, obtaining algebraic completeness and completeness with respect to a Kripkestyle semantic founded on Baer*-semigroups as in [22].

Philosophical feminism is the only coherent philosophy with universal implications that provides a theoretical alternative to patriarchal thought and sociopolitical structures. I distinguish between a patriarchal logic of power and a feminist logic of pleasure that leads to an enlightened ethical hedonism, a pleasure-centered, feminist ethical framework based on a cooperative rather than authoritarian model of social relations.

Our aim in this paper is to take quite seriously Heinz Post’s claim that the non-individuality and the indiscernibility of quantum objects should be introduced right at the start, and not made a posteriori by introducing symmetry conditions. Using a different mathematical framework, namely, quasi-set theory, we avoid working within a label-tensor-product-vector-space-formalism, to use Redhead and Teller’s words, and get a more intuitive way of dealing with the formalism of quantum mechanics, although the underlying logic should be modified. We build (...) a vector space with inner product, the Q-space, using the non-classical part of quasi-set theory, to deal with indistinguishable elements. Vectors in Q-space refer only to occupation numbers and permutation operators act as the identity operator on them, reflecting in the formalism the fact of unobservability of permutations. Thus, this paper can be regarded as a tentative to follow and enlarge Heinsenberg’s suggestion that new phenomena require the formation of a new “closed” (that is, axiomatic) theory, coping also with the physical theory’s underlying logic and mathematics. (shrink)

The concept of individuality in quantum mechanics shows radical differences from the concept of individuality in classical physics, as E. Schrödinger pointed out in the early steps of the theory. Regarding this fact, some authors suggested that quantum mechanics does not possess its own language, and therefore, quantum indistinguishability is not incorporated in the theory from the beginning. Nevertheless, it is possible to represent the idea of quantum indistinguishability with a first-order language using quasiset theory (Q). In this work, we (...) show that Q cannot capture one of the most important features of quantum non-individuality, which is the fact that there are quantum systems for which particle number is not well defined. An axiomatic variant of Q, in which quasicardinal is not a primitive concept (for a kind of quasisets called finite quasisets), is also given. This result encourages the searching of theories in which the quasicardinal, being a secondary concept, stands undefined for some quasisets, besides showing explicitly that in a set theory about collections of truly indistinguishable entities, the quasicardinal needs not necessarily be a primitive concept. (shrink)

Según Chantal Mouffe, las concepciones deliberativas de la democracia desconocen el fenómeno político; esto se pone manifiesto en la pretensión de alcanzar un consenso racional que niega el conflicto, elemento insoslayable de la política. Otro error que les atribuye es privilegiar la razón sobre los componentes pasionales al considerar la motivación de las acciones. Como alternativa propone la democracia radical centrada en las ideas de "hegemonía", en la oposición nosotros-ellos y en la importancia de las pasiones en la política. Este (...) artículo sostiene, primero, que la democracia deliberativa puede afrontar con éxito cada una de estas críticas; segundo, a partir de realizar una reconstrucción de los elementos normativos que contiene el pluralismo agonista, argumenta que fracasa en su intención de ofrecerse como una alternativa al estatus-quo de la democracia liberal ya que disuelve la validez en la facticidad. According to Chantal Mouffe, deliberative conceptions of democracy reject the political phenomenon. This is evident when a rational consensus to deny the conflict -politically unavoidable- is supported. Another error she also underlines is to privilege rational more than emotional elements in order to consider actions motivation. As an alternative she proposes radical democracy centered on the one hand at the idea of "hegemony", according to the opposition us-them and in the other at the passions involved in politics. The author maintains that deliberative democracy can face successfully each one of those critics. After reconstructing the normative elements that radical democracy contains, the argument proves that it fails in the pretention to be an alternative to liberal democracy status-quo since it dissolves validity in facticity. (shrink)

En un estudio interpretativo-narrativo realizado en la UNMdP en el marco del Doctorado en Humanidades y Artes con mención en Cs. De la Educación de la UNR se estudió mediante el enfoque biográfico-narrativo en articulación con la etnografía educativa la dimensión ética de la enseñanza de profesoras consideradas memorables por sus estudiantes. La categoría “enseñanza memorable” emerge de una resignificación y resentidización de los hallazgos investigativos de dicho estudio. Las dimensiones de “memorabilidad” de la enseñanza se plasman en las siguientes (...) macrocategorías: enseñanza logopática, enseñanza apasionada, enseñanza como compromiso existencial y enseñanza terapéutica. A su vez cada macrocategoría alberga diversas categorías que muestran aspectos plenos de sentido para la comprensión de lo que las profesoras creen, sienten, piensan y hacen cuando enseñan. Si bien presentamos de modo muy sintético estos hallazgos, los mismos permiten un acercamiento a la comprensión del entramado de significados y sentidos alojados en prácticas de enseñanza que dejan huella en la subjetividad de los estudiantes. (shrink)

En Fenicias resultan dignos de destacar los cambios substanciales que Eurípides introdujo al tratamiento del mito en sus versiones tradicionales. De modo particular, en el análisis filológico-literario de prólogo y párodos se pone de manifiesto una evidente integración de espacios y tiempos teatrales y el ensamble de los dos ámbitos trágicos estructurales significa una expresión clara de los límites entre "lo propio" y "lo ajeno". Nos proponemos demostrar que el diseño espacio-temporal de prólogo y párodos construye una suerte de agón (...) en el nivel espacial que se evidencia en el trazado de los personajes de Yocasta, Antígona y el Pedagogo en el prólogo y de las mujeres fenicias en la párodos. De modo que también resulte agonal la confrontación entre propio y ajeno, ya mencionada, como característica de la composición teatral euripidea, acorde con las realidades comunicativas de la época de representación de la tragedia y con la propuesta poética del autor. In 'Phoenician Women' it is interesting to point out the substantial changes that Euripides introduced to the treatment of the myth in his traditional versions. In a singular manner, in the literary-philological analysis of the prologue and párodos it does depict an evident integration of theatrical times and spaces and the assembly of the limits between ´the foreign´ and ´the self´. We will try to show that the temporal-space design of the prologues and párodos builds a chance of agón at the spatial level that gives evidence to the outline of the characters in Yocasta, Antigone and in the Pedagogue in the prologue and the Phoenician women in the párodos. Furthermore, the confrontation between the foreign and the self is also agonistic, already mentioned, is a characteristic of the theatrical Euripidean composition, according to communicative realities of the time of the representation of the tragedy and the poetic proposal of its author. (shrink)

The Social Sciences, as any field of the knowledge, renew its concepts and theoretical tools to adapt them to the present. Nevertheless, this type of changes also can answer to ideological interests. This essay investigates the declivity of an essential concept inside the social analysis, which is actually the declivity of the whole approach, the Marxism, without which still today it turns out almost impossible to realize a critical study of the society.

Apresentação e ordem geral da edição 2021/1.

Nesse artigo temos como objetivo analisar a representação do conceito de liberdade na primeira temporada da série “Merli”, veiculada no canal de streaming Netflix. Nela, pretendemos verificar como o professor de Filosofia Merli Bergeron trabalha conceitos libertários e suscita reflexões críticas em seus alunos sobre os padrões de convívio socialmente impostos pelas instituições primárias e secundárias. Ao mesmo tempo, pretendemos abordar a personalidade do professor, discutindo sobre o convívio que ele mantém com os colegas de trabalho e seus alunos, assim (...) como em sua vida particular, para visualizarmos se, de fato, ele pratica aquilo que discursa aos estudantes durante suas aulas. Haverá um foco maior na relação dele com o aluno Ivan Basco, que sofre com agorafobia e recebe aulas particulares de Merli para superar sua situação de isolamento. Em um primeiro momento, com caráter introdutório, iremos discutir sobre a importância da discussão de liberdade na contemporaneidade. A seguir, exporemos conceitos formulados por diversos pensadores acerca do que é a liberdade e sua importância para a emancipação humana. A partir disso, serão abordadas informações básicas sobre a produção da série, como os diretores, veiculadores e atores envolvidos para, por fim, executarmos a análise dos capítulos do seriado e apresentarmos nossas considerações finais. Diversos teóricos pertinentes a esse trabalho serão utilizados na revisão bibliográfica. Como metodologias de análise fílmica usaremos, para verificação estrutural do filme, a metodologia de análise fílmica de Manuela Penafria e, para visualização das formas simbólicas, a Hermenêutica de Profundidade, proposta por John Thompson em “Ideologia e Cultura Moderna”. (shrink)

O ceticismo desempenha um papel decisivo na filosofia pascaliana. De fato, amplamente influenciado por autores como Michel de Montaigne e Pierre Charron, Blaise Pascal acaba por contrariar a tendência geral do século do grande Racionalismo, levantando profundas objeções relativamente à pretensão – tipicamente cartesiana – de se conhecer a Verdade de maneira certa e segura. Como se pode depreender mesmo de uma rápida leitura de seus escritos, a obra pascaliana é toda perpassada por uma notável desconfiança de nossa suposta capacidade (...) de adquirir certezas inabaláveis sobre o que quer que seja: desconfiança esta que, diga-se de passagem, está em profunda sintonia com a chocante posição do autor concernente às consequências do pecado original. Assim sendo, o que pretendemos neste artigo é: i) apresentar os argumentos céticos subscritos por Pascal em sua principal obra filosófica – os Pensamentos; e ii) analisando a obra Do espírito geométrico e da arte de persuadir, indicar que nem mesmo os conhecimentos oferecidos pela luz natural são capazes de nos livrar das dúvidas suscitadas pela argumentação cética. (shrink)

Encouraging VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking) to hasten a patient’s death is immoral. The practice results in an obvious conflict between the autonomy of the patient and the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence that must guide the physician and other health care workers. Because VSED is an act of passive euthanasia, it harms the patient and thus compromises the integrity of the physician–patient relationship. Health care providers must avoid any involvement in VSED, whether by providing information about the practice (...) or by administering palliative care while a patient is voluntarily starving and dehydrating himself to death. Instead of cooperating in the evil of euthanasia, health care providers need to advocate for the patient by refusing to do any harm and by addressing the reasons why the patient is requesting a hastened death. (shrink)

El artículo desarrolla una primera propuesta para abordar el tema de la relación universidad-comunidad como un espacio de reconfiguración de lo público, explicitando en primer lugar una posición teórica acerca de los conceptos espacio público, comunidad y universidad, comunidad, para poder avanzar luego en las posibles relaciones entre los mismos. Señala los cambios acontecidos en el siglo XXI en relación a la reconfiguración del espacio público ya no exclusivamente ligado al Estado sino que como espacio de participación ciudadana y comunitaria; (...) proponiendo una modalidad de trabajo de la universidad en sus relaciones con la comunidad, que coloca a los ciudadanos como protagonistas desde la idea de democratización del saber. (shrink)

The present paper investigates the seventeenth-century debate on whether the agreement of all human beings upon certain notions—designated as the “common” ones—prove these notions to be innate. It does so by focusing on Descartes’ and Locke’s rejections of the philosophy of Herbert of Cherbury, one of the most important early modern proponents of this view. The paper opens by considering the strategy used in Herbert’s arguments, as well as the difficulties involved in them. It shows that Descartes’ 1638 and 1639 (...) reading of Herbert’s On Truth—both the 1633 second Latin edition and Mersenne’s 1639 translation—was instrumental in shaping Descartes’ views on the issue. The arguments of Locke’s Essay opposing Herbert’s case for innatism are thus revealed to be ineffective against the case which Descartes makes for this same doctrine, since Descartes had in fact framed his conception of innateness in opposition to the very same theses as Locke was arguing against. The paper concludes by explaining how two thinkers as antithetical as Locke and Descartes came to agree on at least one point, and a truly crucial one: namely, that universal consent counts as a criterion neither for innatism nor for truth. (shrink)

En este artículo pretendo echar luz sobre la distinción entre filosofía y erística en Platón y Aristóteles, dirigiendo la atención a la noción de aporía. En la sección I, sobre la base de un examen de las ocurrencias de eristikós en Menón, intento mostrar que Sócrates aparece estrechamente conectado al erístico, quien suele ser presentado como su oponente más peligroso. En la sección II, analizo la taxonomía de Aristóteles de los opositores al principio de no-contradicción en Metafísica IV, con el (...) fin de aclarar la distinción entre filósofos, genuinamente problematizados, y erísticos, que buscan la victoria verbal. En este punto, sostengo, Aristóteles sigue de cerca las enseñanzas de Platón en Menón. (shrink)

Relacionar la educación y el trabajo infantil resulta una alternativa para lograr mejorarlos procesos de formativos de los docentes contemporáneos. Este reto actual demanda centrar esfuerzos por parte de distintos actores involucrados, quienes deben colaborar en e l diseño de nuevas estrategias integrales y fundamentadas, que a largo plazo contribuyan a la erradicación del problema.El contexto experiencias dentro del estado de Hidalgo México, expone como el converger de distintas variables puede resultar en una disminución significativa del trabajo infantil en este (...) contexto. (shrink)

In what way do the corporatist and authoritarian legacies that modelled some Latin American labor institutions influence the opportunities for and restrictions on organizing workers in a new context? To what extent did institutional designs, together with other economic and political factors, influence the characteristics that currently distinguish the union organizations in the countries of the region? Taking into consideration the existence of a broader debate about the consequences of globalization and political democratization for unions, the contribution of historical institutionalism (...) and previous research, in this Article I compare the institutional and organizational dynamics of unions in four countries with authoritarian legacies and corporatist traditions. The Article argues that in spite of these shared traditions, the differences in the institutional designs — which have scarcely been considered in the specialized literature — have historically imposed distinctive features on the associational power of workers and unions. These features not only persist to the present day, but also translate into dissimilar trajectories of the labor movement and opportunities for organizing workers in the last decade. (shrink)

El Psicoanálisis freudiano, ya se lo considere como un método para la investigación del inconsciente, una psicoterapia o una teoría psicológica, se sustenta en una concepción metafísica y antropológica. Dichos fundamentos filosóficos no fueron asumidos por S. Freud, lo cual no implica, sin embargo, que no estén en la base de esta cosmovisión que revolucionó la cultura del siglo XX. Se analizan sucesivamente: A. La relación personal de S. Freud con la filosofía. Asume un carácter paradójico y conflictivo, ya que (...) a veces ella aparece como su máxima aspiración y, en otras ocasiones, se considera a sí mismo constitucionalmente incapaz de comprenderla. B. Su actitud hacia los filósofos, francamente ambigua, en tanto entabla con ellos una polémica constante y, al mismo tiempo, admira la filosofía de Platón, Nietzsche y Schopenhauer, entre otros. C. La fundamentación psicoanalítica de la filosofía como institución cultural. Al igual que la religión, la moral y el derecho, es producto de la sublimación que sustituye el objeto y el fin del instinto, y logra su satisfacción en una función no sexual y más elevada desde el punto de vista social o ético. La metapsicología será el intento científico de reinterpretar la metafísica que es producto de las fuerzas inconscientes. D. Explicitación de algunas de las ideas filosóficas subyacentes en el Psicoanálisis, limitadas a sus conexiones con A. Schopenhauer. El Psicoanálisis se apoya en una concepción materialista y positivista de lo real y sostiene una antropología pandeterminista en la que afloran las ideas del filósofo de Danzig. A él debe la noción de represión, la valoración de los impulsos sexuales, la idea de inconsciente, el peso del instinto de muerte, el fatalismo y la convicción de que la esencia de las relaciones humanas es el conflicto. A pesar de su cosmovisión reduccionista, Freud sigue siendo cimiento y referencia obligada de todo planteo psicológico, psicopatológico o psicoterapéutico. (shrink)

We argue that the notion of individual is controversial not only for indistinguishable particles but also in the case of quantum distinguishable systems. We also argue that not only a picture in which “actual individuals” are taken into account is in contradiction with the quantum formalism, but also the case of “possible individuals” turns inconsistent within the quantum realm.

In this article we discuss the contextual character of quantum mechanics in the framework of modal interpretations. We investigate its historical origin and relate contemporary modal interpretations to those proposed by M. Born and W. Heisenberg. We present then a general characterization of what we consider to be a modal interpretation. Following previous papers in which we have introduced modalities in the Kochen-Specker theorem, we investigate the consequences of these theorems in relation to the modal interpretations of quantum mechanics.

This article analyze Claude Lefort´s interpretation of the fundamental rupture that Machiavelli has inflicted upon political thinking. In opposition to classical views derived from ancient thought, Lefort discovered that Machiavelli opened an unexplored path which points to the fact that legitimate power does not lie in mere “measures”, but in the interaction of social forces that shapes the nature of a city. The above mentioned French philosopher paves the way to this interpretation through the “exemplary” reading material of Antonio Gramsci (...) and Leo Strauss. This paper aims at making a brief review of contemporary narratives whose internal contradictions would guide Lefort along the path that leads to what he defines as “Machiavelli´s new ontology“, according to which, conflict is at the basis of the construction of political order – therefore, in the nature of cities. (shrink)

This article is devoted to Roger Bacon’s understanding of perspectiva as “the first of all natural sciences.” After considering a few alternative medieval definitions and classifications of this discipline – such as al-Fārābī’s, Grosseteste’s and Kilwardby’s – the author turns to Bacon’s arguments for according to perspectiva so exceptional a role. He shows that Bacon’s arguments are grounded in his peculiar understanding of the visual process: according to Bacon, vision is indeed the only sense in which perception takes place “by (...) reasoning”. The author argues that this theory of perception also lays the foundations for Bacon’s – prima facie amiss – claim that “concerning vision alone, and no other sense, have philosophers developed a separate science.” The author explores this point by contrasting with one another Bacon’s conception of perspectiva and of music, and closes with some more general remarks on the implications of Bacon’s account of the visual process for his theory of knowledge. Based on his theory of a “vision by reasoning,” the author concludes that Bacon came to reinterpret perspectiva as the organon of visual knowledge. (shrink)

One’s understanding of compassionate care and one’s response to suffering depend on one’s bioethical framework. This paper contrasts the principlist bioethical model with the personalist bioethical model. These emphasize different principles, definitions, and understandings of concepts such as autonomy, compassion, suffering, harm, and help. The principlist model regards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as acts of autonomy and compassion that eradicate suffering. This perspective fails to keep in mind that autonomous patients do not always act for their own good. Conversely, the (...) personalist perspective emphasizes the integral good of the person, not just his or her autonomous choice, which is important but not unlimited. Since support for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide often is motivated by a fear of suffering, being a burden, or depending on others, addressing the underlying factors that drive people to contemplate a hastened death is a more genuinely compassionate response than merely respecting people’s autonomous choice for a hastened death. (shrink)

Los orígenes del concepto calidad de vida se remontan a la década del 30 y al economista británico Pigou en su trabajo dedicado a cuantificar los servicios o costos sociales de las decisiones de gobierno, para poder calcular un producto social neto. Desde ese momento hasta hoy, el término ha sido utilizado con distintas significaciones, para finalmente en la década del 90 quedar definido desde sus dimensiones subjetiva y objetiva. En este sentido, en este artículo precisaremos el concepto calidad de (...) vida desde su consideración multidimensional, así como el concepto de políticas públicas, a fin de avanzar en las relaciones posibles entre ambos, planteando la necesidad de considerar la utilización de indicadores de calidad de vida que consideren las opiniones y percepciones que tienen los ciudadanos de su situación vital, a fin de ser tenida en cuenta para la toma de decisiones en la generación de políticas públicas. (shrink)

O presente estudo acerca das atividades praticadas por rezadeiras no Brasil teve o intuito de identificar as identidades étnicas e as etnociências que compõem a pluralidade dos grupos sociais nos quais elas atuam e qual a sua importância para os meios. O objetivo, portanto foi identificar as diferentes identidades étnicas que influenciam as práticas das rezadeiras. Para isso, foi adotada a metodologia da pesquisa bibliográfica de cunho exploratório descritivo e qualitativa a fim de obter uma visão sistemática do assunto. O (...) estudo se justifica devido a importância em conhecer as identidades éticas bem como a etnociência existente nas práticas das rezadeiras, resgatando conhecimentos históricos e uma riqueza cultural fundamental para boa parte da população brasileira uma vez que estudos na área são escassos. Foram analisados 15 artigos que pautam sobre as práticas das rezadeiras, e os resultados obtidos apontaram que há muitas semelhanças entre as práticas de rezadeiras em diferentes regiões do Brasil e suas diferenças estão relacionadas, provavelmente, às origens que esses povos possuem. Portanto, conclui-se que vieram de matrizes africanas e indígenas principalmente e que possuem ainda mais semelhanças devido ao intercâmbio realizado entre algumas dessas culturas no território brasileiro. (shrink)

In this paper, I discuss the current thesis on the modern origin of the ad hominem-argument, by analysing the Aristotelian conception of it. In view of the recent accounts which consider it a relative argument, i.e., acceptable only by the particular respondent, I maintain that there are two Aristotelian versions of the ad hominem, that have identifiable characteristics, and both correspond to the standard variants distinguished in the contemporary treatments of the famous informal fallacy: the abusive and the circumstancial or (...) tu quoque types. I propose to reconstruct the two Aristotelian versions (see sections 1 and 2), which have been recognized again in the ninteenth century (sec. 3). Finally, I examine whether or not it was considered as a fallacious dialogue device by Aristotle and by A. Schopenhauer (sec. 4). (shrink)

Hume’s discussion of space, time, and mathematics at T 1.2 appeared to many earlier commentators as one of the weakest parts of his philosophy. From the point of view of pure mathematics, for example, Hume’s assumptions about the infinite may appear as crude misunderstandings of the continuum and infinite divisibility. I shall argue, on the contrary, that Hume’s views on this topic are deeply connected with his radically empiricist reliance on phenomenologically given sensory images. He insightfully shows that, working within (...) this epistemological model, we cannot attain complete certainty about the continuum but only at most about discrete quantity. Geometry, in contrast to arithmetic, cannot be a fully exact science. A number of more recent commentators have offered sympathetic interpretations of Hume’s discussion aiming to correct the older tendency to dismiss this part of the Treatise as weak and confused. Most of these commentators interpret Hume as anticipating the contemporary idea of a finite or discrete geometry. They view Hume’s conception that space is composed of simple indivisible minima as a forerunner of the conception that space is a discretely (rather than continuously) ordered set. This approach, in my view, is helpful as far as it goes, but there are several important features of Hume’s discussion that are not sufficiently appreciated. I go beyond these recent commentators by emphasizing three of Hume’s most original contributions. First, Hume’s epistemological model invokes the “confounding” of indivisible minima to explain the appearance of spatial continuity. Second, Hume’s sharp contrast between the perfect exactitude of arithmetic and the irremediable inexactitude of geometry reverses the more familiar conception of the early modern tradition in pure mathematics, according to which geometry (the science of continuous quantity) has its own standard of equality that is independent from and more exact than any corresponding standard supplied by algebra and arithmetic (the sciences of discrete quantity). Third, Hume has a developed explanation of how geometry (traditional Euclidean geometry) is nonetheless possible as an axiomatic demonstrative science possessing considerably more exactitude and certainty that the “loose judgements” of the vulgar. (shrink)

While refutation is usually related to Plato's early, Socratic, dialogues, this paper is aimed at exploring the link between refutation and dialectic in some of his middle and late dialogues. First, it argues that refutation assumes a constructive role in the Phaedo, where the best logos is the least refutable, and also in the Republic, where the philosopher is invited to fight his way through all elenchoi. Then, it tries to show that the gymnasia of Prm. 130a ff. is aimed (...) at training young Socrates to come to the aid of the theory he embraces preventing it from being refuted. He should travel and explore all the paths, by assuming a hypothesis as well as the opposite one. This methodology paves the way on which Plato advances in the Sophist, where the antinomic structure of the gymnasia gives way to a “constructive” dialectic in which the aporia is solved and a thesis is established by refutation. The last section of this paper is devoted to analysing Sph. 251c-252e, where the positive and constructive function of the elenchus is especially clear. Plato argues for the symploke eidon by exploring all the hypotheses that are open to the search and refuting those that ultimately represent obstacles to his position. The symploke is the truth which remains when all the hypotheses that contradict it have been refuted. The conclusion is that the elenchus does not disappear but is put at the service of the truth, as an essential part of the method for attaining a positive doctrine. (shrink)

Ramsey famously condemned discounting “future enjoyments” as “ethically indefensible”. Suppes enunciated an equity criterion which, when social choice is utilitarian, implies giving equal weight to all individuals’ utilities. By contrast, Arrow accepted, perhaps reluctantly, what he called Koopmans’ :287–309, 1960) “strong argument” implying that no equitable preference ordering exists for a sufficiently unrestricted domain of infinite utility streams. Here we derive an equitable utilitarian objective for a finite population based on a version of the Vickrey–Harsanyi original position, where there is (...) an equal probability of becoming each person. For a potentially infinite population facing an exogenous stochastic process of extinction, an equitable extinction biased original position requires equal conditional probabilities, given that the individual’s generation survives the extinction process. Such a position is well-defined if and only if survival probabilities decline fast enough for the expected total number of individuals who can ever live to be finite. Then, provided that each individual’s utility is bounded both above and below, maximizing expected “extinction discounted” total utility—as advocated, inter alia, by the Stern Review on climate change—provides a coherent and dynamically consistent equitable objective, even when the population size of each generation can be chosen. (shrink)