population

population
Most ethical thinking supposes a fixed population, and considers such things as the distribution of resources amongst them. If population is itself made a matter of decision, then further problems arise. Do numbers matter by themselves, with it being a better world if more people live lives of some positive happiness? Or does only the average level of welfare matter? If a mother conceives in a way that she knows is likely to bring about the existence of a handicapped child, when she could have acted differently and avoided the risk, why has she done wrong? Nobody would have been better off had she acted otherwise, for the only child that does exist would not have existed. These and other questions are subtly explored in Parfit's Reasons and Persons (1984). See also Malthus.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

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  • population — [ pɔpylasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • populacion mil. XVIIIe; repris de l angl.; 1335 « peuplement » rare; bas lat. populatio, de populus « peuple » 1 ♦ Ensemble des personnes qui habitent un espace, une terre. La population du globe, de la France, d une ville …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • population — pop‧u‧la‧tion [ˌpɒpjˈleɪʆn ǁ ˌpɑː ] noun 1. [countable, uncountable] the number of people who live in a particular country or area: • a city with a population of over 2 million • Hong Kong s rapid growth in population 2. [countable usually… …   Financial and business terms

  • Population — Pop u*la tion, n. [L. populatio: cf. F. population.] 1. The act or process of populating; multiplication of inhabitants. [1913 Webster] 2. The whole number of people, or inhabitants, in a country, or portion of a country; as, a population of ten… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Population — steht für: fachsprachlich veraltet: Bevölkerung eine Gruppe von Individuen einer Art (Tiere und Pflanzen), die zur gleichen Zeit am selben Ort leben und sich miteinander fortpflanzen können, siehe Population (Biologie) in der Statistik für die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • population — 1570s, from L.L. populationem (5c., nom. populatio) a people, multitude, as if a noun of action from L. populus people. Population explosion is first attested 1953 …   Etymology dictionary

  • population — [päp΄yə lā′shən] n. [LL populatio] 1. a) all the people in a country, region, etc. b) the number of these c) a (specified) part of the people in a given area [the Japanese population of Hawaii] 2. a populating or being populated …   English World dictionary

  • population — population. См. популяция. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • Population — (v. lat.), 1) Bevölkerung, s.d.; 2) die gesammten Einwohner eines Landes, einer Provinz od. eines Ortes. Daher Populationistik, Bevölkerungsstatistik, s. u. Bevölkerung B); Populationisten, in England Gegner des Malthus, welcher gegen die… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Population — (spätlat.), Bevölkerung …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Population — Populātion (lat.), Bevölkerung (s.d.); Populationístik, s. Bevölkerungstheorie …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Population — Population, Bevölkerung …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

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