Notes

In both cases, we can recover something close to the notion of utility for ultimate ends or pure outcomes (i.e. elements of  ): the utility of the pure outcome x – to the extent that such a utility can be meaningfully said to exist – is u∗(x, x) , the utility of the reference pair attached to x . That seems right. Strictly speaking, there is little sense to asking an agent for the utility they assign to a particular person’s death; one must specify whether or not the death is the result of that agent’s agency. But we often do give a utility to that sort of outcome; and when we do, I submit, we give the utility of the reference pair. Similarly, we often speak as if we assign a utility to receiving £50 , even though the request makes little sense without specifying the act that gives rise to that pure outcome: again, when we do so, what we really do is give the utility of £50   for sure , that is, the utility of (£50, £50) .