Synthese· 2026Q1
Fragile lives and moral duties: on the ethics of modal security
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
We argue that individuals in ethically precarious situations, where small changes could lead to significant harm (e.g., exclusion, punishment), are not merely at risk but are placed within the space of possible worlds, necessitating 'duties of modal security' to protect each other from such positions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Ethically precarious situations arise from proximity to worlds where individuals could suffer significant harm (exclusion, punishment, abandonment).
- This precariousness is framed as a matter of placement within the 'space of possible worlds,' not just risk or harm.
- A modal account of difference-making is used to explain this ethical dimension.
- The paper introduces 'duties of modal security' as moral obligations to protect others from such vulnerable positions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Some people are safe from harm yet remain in positions where things could easily go badly for them. Their proximity to worlds where something bad happens to them makes their situation ethically precarious. In some worlds, they are excluded, punished, or abandoned, which deserves attention in its own right. We argue that this is not just a matter of risk or harm, but about how people are placed within the space of possible worlds. We explain this through a modal account of difference-making and use it to highlight attitudinal responses fitting to fragility and introduce duties of modal security: moral reasons to protect one another from positions where small changes could lead to significant loss.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Synthese, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities