Title: Happiness, welfare and ethics: dissonant consequences and conflicting values

Authors: Greg Clydesdale

Addresses: Faculty of Commerce, Lincoln University, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract: This paper draws attention to an uncomfortable ethical issue with regard to happiness and welfare. The introduction of Western healthcare to Africa has resulted in significant population growth, with implications for human and animal welfare. However, the issue of population control or withdrawing health aid raises serious ethical concerns. This paper introduces the ethical problem and the factors giving rise to it. It then provides an exploratory analysis of the various ethical positions from which this problem can be viewed, with an eye to maximising human and animal welfare. Recent psychological work on welfare is considered when discussing the different ethical approaches. The discussion highlights the fact that conflicts in values can occur, and ways of resolving these are discussed.

Keywords: human welfare; animal welfare; animals; future generations; ethics; health aid; healthcare; happiness; ethical issues; population control; psychology; conflicting values.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2015.070074

International Journal of Happiness and Development, 2015 Vol.2 No.2, pp.137 - 159

Received: 11 Jul 2014
Accepted: 23 Oct 2014

Published online: 26 Jun 2015 *

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