The Repugnant Conclusion

The Repugnant Conclusion is a philosophical idea suggesting that, under certain ethical views, a very large population of people with lives barely worth living could be considered better than a smaller population of very happy individuals. In other words, adding more people with low wellbeing might, overall, increase total happiness, even if their lives are barely fulfilling. This idea challenges our intuitions about quality of life and how we value adding more people, raising questions about what counts as a morally desirable outcome for humanity’s future.