{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/344151"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/344151","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Harm and risks of harm","abstract":"This thesis considers two interrelated questions that have seen a renewed interest in the jurisprudential literature: (1) what does it mean to suffer harm, and (2) do those exposed to a risk of harm suffer harm solely in virtue of that exposure. Part 1 of the thesis provides an answer to the first question. Specifically, in Section 1 of Part 1, I argue that the appropriate baseline for determining whether someone suffers harm is the historical baseline (e.g. a person suffers harm if and only if they are worse off than they were before). Section 2 of Part 1 then argues that the appropriate currency for harm determinations is the concept of wellbeing (e.g. whether someone suffers harm is a question about their level of wellbeing). Part 2 of the thesis provides an answer to the second question. Section 1 of Part 2 begins by exploring the concept of risk itself, and defends a probabilistic conception of risk (e.g. where the risk of an event or state of affairs just is the probability that it will occur or obtain). Section 2 of Part 2 then takes that conception of risk and argues that those exposed to unwanted risks of harm can be said to have suffered harm—on a desire-based account of wellbeing—solely in virtue of that exposure.","abstract_html":"This thesis considers two interrelated questions that have seen a renewed interest in the jurisprudential literature: (1) what does it mean to suffer harm, and (2) do those exposed to a risk of harm suffer harm solely in virtue of that exposure. Part 1 of the thesis provides an answer to the first question. Specifically, in Section 1 of Part 1, I argue that the appropriate baseline for determining whether someone suffers harm is the historical baseline (e.g. a person suffers harm if and only if they are worse off than they were before). Section 2 of Part 1 then argues that the appropriate currency for harm determinations is the concept of wellbeing (e.g. whether someone suffers harm is a question about their level of wellbeing). Part 2 of the thesis provides an answer to the second question. Section 1 of Part 2 begins by exploring the concept of risk itself, and defends a probabilistic conception of risk (e.g. where the risk of an event or state of affairs just is the probability that it will occur or obtain). Section 2 of Part 2 then takes that conception of risk and argues that those exposed to unwanted risks of harm can be said to have suffered harm—on a desire-based account of wellbeing—solely in virtue of that exposure.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zhou, Yan Kai"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Skopek, Jeffrey","John, Stephen","Cane, Peter"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-07-01","date_published":"2022-07-01","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:10Z","subjects":["harm","risk","wellbeing"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.91574","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Skopek, Jeffrey","John, Stephen","Cane, Peter"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["Cambridge Trust"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zhou, Yan Kai"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2022-07-01"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/344151"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["harm","risk","wellbeing"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.17863/CAM.91574"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/427031eb-ffeb-4933-9810-90395585fffe/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis considers two interrelated questions that have seen a renewed interest in the jurisprudential literature: (1) what does it mean to suffer harm, and (2) do those exposed to a risk of harm suffer harm solely in virtue of that exposure. Part 1 of the thesis provides an answer to the first question. Specifically, in Section 1 of Part 1, I argue that the appropriate baseline for determining whether someone suffers harm is the historical baseline (e.g. a person suffers harm if and only if they are worse off than they were before). Section 2 of Part 1 then argues that the appropriate currency for harm determinations is the concept of wellbeing (e.g. whether someone suffers harm is a question about their level of wellbeing). Part 2 of the thesis provides an answer to the second question. Section 1 of Part 2 begins by exploring the concept of risk itself, and defends a probabilistic conception of risk (e.g. where the risk of an event or state of affairs just is the probability that it will occur or obtain). Section 2 of Part 2 then takes that conception of risk and argues that those exposed to unwanted risks of harm can be said to have suffered harm—on a desire-based account of wellbeing—solely in virtue of that exposure."]},{"key":"dc:format.checksum.md5","label":"Dc Format Checksum Md5","values":["89233f081672548808cbf087d4988983"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Harm and risks of harm"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Skopek, Jeffrey","John, Stephen","Cane, Peter"],"dc:contributor.sponsor":["Cambridge Trust"],"dc:creator":["Zhou, Yan Kai"],"dc:date.issued":["2022-07-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis considers two interrelated questions that have seen a renewed interest in the jurisprudential literature: (1) what does it mean to suffer harm, and (2) do those exposed to a risk of harm suffer harm solely in virtue of that exposure. Part 1 of the thesis provides an answer to the first question. Specifically, in Section 1 of Part 1, I argue that the appropriate baseline for determining whether someone suffers harm is the historical baseline (e.g. a person suffers harm if and only if they are worse off than they were before). Section 2 of Part 1 then argues that the appropriate currency for harm determinations is the concept of wellbeing (e.g. whether someone suffers harm is a question about their level of wellbeing). Part 2 of the thesis provides an answer to the second question. Section 1 of Part 2 begins by exploring the concept of risk itself, and defends a probabilistic conception of risk (e.g. where the risk of an event or state of affairs just is the probability that it will occur or obtain). Section 2 of Part 2 then takes that conception of risk and argues that those exposed to unwanted risks of harm can be said to have suffered harm—on a desire-based account of wellbeing—solely in virtue of that exposure."],"dc:format.checksum.md5":["89233f081672548808cbf087d4988983"],"dc:identifier.doi":["10.17863/CAM.91574"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/427031eb-ffeb-4933-9810-90395585fffe/download"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cambridge"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/344151"],"dc:rights":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"dc:subject":["harm","risk","wellbeing"],"dc:title":["Harm and risks of harm"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:10Z"}