The Crowds Riot

Abstract This chapter presents and reviews (substantially following Mark Johnston) arguments to the conclusion that acknowledging the vast plenitude of person-apt things should push us radically to change our views about what we ought to do and believe in ordinary contexts. We ought to act as if the suffering of large creatures were overwhelmingly more important than the suffering of small creatures. Other things being equal, we ought to believe that we are parts of large, not small conscious creatures. We ought to avoid inflicting temporary pain on others for their long-term benefit. We ought not to hold people to their promises. We ought not to punish people for their transgressions. Common-sense morality and common-sense epistemology have left the building.