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Prioritarianism: A response to critics

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew D Adler

    (Duke University, USA)

  • Nils Holtug

    (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Abstract

Prioritarianism is a moral view that ranks outcomes according to the sum of a strictly increasing and strictly concave transformation of individual well-being. Prioritarianism is ‘welfarist’ (namely, it satisfies axioms of Pareto Indifference, Strong Pareto, and Anonymity) as well as satisfying three further axioms: Pigou–Dalton (formalizing the property of giving greater weight to those who are worse off), Separability, and Continuity. Philosophical discussion of prioritarianism was galvanized by Derek Parfit’s 1991 Lindley Lecture. Since then, and notwithstanding Parfit’s support, a variety of criticisms of prioritarianism have been advanced: by utilitarians (such as John Broome and Hilary Greaves), egalitarians (such as Lara Buchak; Michael Otsuka and Alex Voorhoeve; Ingmar Persson; and Larry Temkin), and sufficientists (Roger Crisp). In previous work, we have each endorsed prioritarianism. This article sets forth a renewed defense, in the light of the accumulated criticisms. We clarify the concept of a prioritarian moral view (here addressing work by David McCarthy), discuss the application of prioritarianism under uncertainty (herein of ‘ex post’ and ‘ex ante’ prioritarianism), distinguish between person-affecting and impersonal justifications, and provide a person-affecting case for prioritarianism. We then describe the various challenges mounted against prioritarianism – utilitarian, egalitarian, and sufficientist – and seek to counter each of them.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew D Adler & Nils Holtug, 2019. "Prioritarianism: A response to critics," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 18(2), pages 101-144, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:18:y:2019:i:2:p:101-144
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X19828022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hyams, Keith, 2015. "Hypothetical Choice, Egalitarianism and the Separateness of Persons," Utilitas, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(2), pages 217-239, June.
    2. Marc Fleurbaey, 2010. "Assessing Risky Social Situations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 118(4), pages 649-680, August.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Antoinette Baujard, 2022. "Ethics and Technique in Welfare Economics: How Welfarism Evolves in the Making," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 73(6), pages 1039-1053.
    3. Adler, Matthew D. & Bossert, Walter & Cato, Susumu & Kamaga, Kohei, 2025. "Ex-post approaches to prioritarianism and sufficientarianism," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 20(4), November.
    4. Thoma, Johanna, 2021. "Weighing the costs and benefits of public policy: on the dangers of single metric accounting," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112689, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Øystein Ariansen Haaland & Frode Lindemark & Kjell Arne Johansson, 2019. "A flexible formula for incorporating distributive concerns into cost-effectiveness analyses: Priority weights," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-12, October.
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