Colloquium: Chris Howard (McGill University)

Title: Goodness Is Relative

Abstract: Goodness and betterness simpliciter are often assumed to be impartial, agent-neutral properties. I argue instead that they’re fundamentally agent-relative, such that whenever something is good or better, it’s always good or better relative to some agent or group. The central argument is that adopting this view provides the best answer to a longstanding puzzle about fitting partiality. I conclude by discussing some implications for normative theory.