A natural disaster has negative value due to what it means for those who are injured, killed or lose their friends and relatives. Such events have negative value in virtue of having negative value for people who are concerned. A fire in a forest has negative value in virtue of the suffering it causes for non-human animals. In that case as well, negative value is based, at least in part, on negative value for an experiencing subject. Perhaps most or even all value is based on value for some experiencing subject. Perhaps in the absence of consciousness nothing at all would have any negative or positive value.

Some argue that there is an important sense in which something can be good or bad only for an experiencing individual. Others deny any such deep link between value and consciousness.

Other topics for discussion can be proposed by the participants. Such proposals are well-come.

Dans la mesure du possible l’usage des deux langues (français – anglas) sera adapté aux besoins et souhaits des participants. Les textes que nous allons lire sont écrit en anglais. La participation au séminaire requiert une bonne connaissance passive d’une des deux langues et une très bonne connaissance passive et active de l’autre.