Alastair Norcross, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado, Boulder, will deliver the Department of Philosophy's first colloquium talk of 2026, titled "Abortion and Utility."

Talk description: In this talk, I explore what position a utilitarian should take on (i) the morality and (ii) the legality of abortion. Regarding (i), since utilitarians, like other consequentialists, deny any fundamental moral significance to the doing/allowing distinction, abortion would appear to have roughly the same moral status as the (successful) use of contraception or the choice not to procreate. I present and criticize the case for saying that utilitarians should be in favor of increased human procreation. Regarding (ii), I take an approach similar to what I say about the non-identity problem in my recent book, which emphasizes the difference between moral reasons favoring certain actions and legal coercion to perform those actions. So, even if we think we are epistemically justified in believing either that utilitarian reasons generally favor fewer (or no) abortions, or, on the other hand, more abortions, we may well be justified in believing that legal coercion in either direction is a bad thing, on utilitarian grounds.