Skip to main content
Log in

The small improvement argument

  • Published:
Synthese Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that moral deliberation requires that the alternatives available in a choice situation are evaluatively comparable. This comparability assumption is threatened by claims of incomparability, which is often established by means of the small improvement argument (SIA). In this paper I argue that SIA does not establish incomparability in a stricter sense. The reason is that it fails to distinguish incomparability from a kind of evaluative indeterminacy which may arise due to the vagueness of the evaluative comparatives ‘better than,’ ‘worse than,’ and ‘equally as good as.’

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Broome, J. (1997). Is incommensurability vagueness? In R. Chang (Ed.), Incommensurability, incomparability, and practical reason (pp. 67–89). Harvard University Press.

  • Broome, J. (2004). Weighing lives. Oxford University Press.

  • Carlson E. (2004). Broomes argument against value incomparability. Utilitas 16: 220–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, E. (2006). Incomparability and measurement of value. In K. McDaniel et al. (Eds.), The good, the right, life, and death. Aldershot: Ashgate.

  • Chang, R. (1997). Introduction. In R. Chang (Ed.), Incommensurability, incomparability, and practical reason. Harvard University Press.

  • Chang R. (2002). The possibility of parity. Ethics 112:659–688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang R. (2004). All things considered. Philosophical Perspectives 14: 1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fine K. (1975). Vagueness, truth, and logic. Synthese 30:265–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, J. (1986). Well-being. Oxford University Press.

  • Harris G.W. (2001). Value vagueness, zones of incomparability, and tragedy. American Philosophical Quarterly 38: 155–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh N. (2005). Equality, clumpiness, and incomparability. Utilitas 17: 180–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parfit, D. (1984). Reasons and persons. Oxford University Press.

  • Qizilbash M. (2000). Comparability of values, rough equality and vagueness: Griffin and Broome on Incommensurability. Utilitas 12: 223–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabinowicz, W. (2005). Vagueness and small improvement. Unpublished draft, Lund University.

  • Raz, J. (1986). The morality of freedom. Clarendon Press.

  • Regan D. (1989). Authority and value: Reflections on Raz’ morality and freedom. Southern California Law Review 62: 995–1095

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, L. J. (1954). The foundations of statistics (2nd ed. (1972)). Dover.

  • Williamson, T. (1994). Vagueness. Routledge.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicolas Espinoza.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Espinoza, N. The small improvement argument. Synthese 165, 127–139 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-007-9243-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-007-9243-0

Keywords

Navigation