Session Abstract
This talk will be an introduction to population ethics, the branch of philosophy that investigates ethical issues surrounding the creation of new people. The power we wield over the future is immense: our choices today not only shape the quality of future lives but often determine who will exist in the first place. What does it mean to act ethically toward individuals whose very existence hinges on our decisions? We will explore this question by reflecting on cases that range from personal choices about procreation to sweeping societal actions like climate change policy. Along the way, we will confront the Non-Identity Problem—a deep philosophical puzzle that challenges our intuitions about harm, responsibility, and what it means to do the right thing for future generations.
Speaker Bio
Johann Frick is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at UC Berkeley, specializing in moral and political philosophy. His research focuses primarily on normative ethics, with a particular interest in population ethics, the ethics of risk, moral dilemmas, and the ethics of immigration. He was educated at Oxford, Paris, and Harvard, and taught for seven years at Princeton University, before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 2021. In addition to his academic pursuits, Johann enjoys playing the cello, and is an avid cinephile and news junkie.