Hippocratic Utility
Econometrics
2026-03-11 v1 Other Statistics
Abstract
A utility function has been proposed that values more those lives that are saved by not imposing a harmful treatment and values less those lives that could be saved by treating people who would otherwise die. I do not dispute the ethical motivation behind this kind of asymmetry. However, as my example illustrates, the scope of applicability of such a decision criterion may be limited.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.06820,
title = {Hippocratic Utility},
author = {Tomasz Strzalecki},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.06820},
year = {2026}
}