On the Social and Personal Value of Existence

If a potential person would have a good life, if he were to come into existence, can we coherently regard his coming into existence as better for him than his never coming into existence? And can we regard the situation in which he never comes into existence as worse for him? It has been argued by several authors that such comparisons are absurd because in a state of non-existence there is no person to hold preferences. This chapter argues that both questions should be answered in the affirmative. The chapter also explains where prominent arguments reaching a different conclusion go wrong. Finally, the chapter explores the relevance of our answers to issues in population ethics.