38th Annual Student Research Conference
Time as the Basis Behind Moral Entitlement: An Assessment of Possible Explanations
Andrew C. Struckhoff
Dr. Chad Mohler, Faculty Mentor
Person A and B are waiting in line. Person B is ahead of Person A and has waited for an hour longer. What can we say about these two actors? Certainly we can assert that Person B is more entitled to reach the end of the line before Person A; he–by merit of the time he has spent in line–deserves his spot. Human social and moral convention seems to assert that people who have spent longer in line are entitled to getting to the end of the line before those who have not waited as long. But why is this the case? It is the goal of this paper to undertake a systematic investigation into the question of this so-called “temporal entitlement.” This paper discusses a new account, called the "use-of-life account,” wherein temporal entitlement is a function of the amount of one’s life spent waiting in line.
Keywords: Use-of-life account, Dedication account, Preparedness account, Temporal entitlement
Topic(s):Philosophy & Religion
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 306-3
Location: SUB Georgian C
Time: 1:30