We examine how different welfarist frameworks evaluate the social value of mortality risk-reduction. These frameworks include classical, distributively unweighted cost-benefit analysis — i.e., the “value per statistical life” (VSL) approach — and three benchmark social welfare functions...

Preliminaries: morality, consequentialism, welfarism -- The SWF approach and its competitors -- Well-being and interpersonal comparisons -- Estimating utilities -- The case for a continuous prioritarian SWF -- Lifetime prioritarianism -- Ranking actions: prioritarianism under uncertainty -- Next...