In Infinite Ethics Nick Bostrom argues against using discount factors to resolve problems created by the temporal and spatial infinities that arise in moral theories. While this argument is compelling in the context of aggregative consequentialism it is less compelling under ethical egosim. Incorporating discount factors into ethical models handles many of the problematic infinities and allows us to analyze individual ethical decisions mathematically. In this post I present a model for decision making under uncertainty that incorporates the possibility of eternal reward or punishment.
Motivation
Material conditions for humanity have never been so good yet so many people focus primarily on worldly rewards. Many of these worldly rewards even have diminishing marginal utility. With such... (read 1466 more words →)