Geometry of Desert (Shelly Kagan)

Shelly Kagan's The Geometry of Desert, which investigates the philosophical concept of desert, or what people deserve, often through the use of graphical representations. Kagan explores the nature and structure of desert as an intrinsic value, assuming its reality rather than defending it, and distinguishing between intrinsic and instrumental value in this context. The core of the analysis involves visualizing "desert lines" as mountain-shaped graphs where the peak represents what an individual "absolutely deserves" in terms of well-being, allowing for distinctions between retributivist and moderate views on whether people can deserve to suffer. Furthermore, the discussion introduces noncomparative desert (focused on an individua ...