Using pure statistical evidence about a group to judge a particular member of that group is often found objectionable. One natural explanation of why this is objectionable appeals to the moral notion of respecting individuality: to properly respect individuality, we need individualized evidence, not pure statistical evidence. However, this explanation has been criticized on the ground that there is no fundamental difference between the so-called “individualized evidence” and “pure statistical evidence”. This paper defends the respecting-individuality explanation by developing an account of what it means to respect individuality. It combines an idealistic account of respecting individuality and a prioritization account of respecting individuality, and offers a principled way to distinguish individualized evidence from non-individualized evidence.

使用关于一个群体的纯统计证据来判断该群体的特定成员通常是令人反感的。为什么这是令人反感的一个自然解释诉诸尊重个性的道德观念：为了适当地尊重个性，我们需要个性化的证据，而不是纯粹的统计证据。然而，这种解释遭到批评，理由是所谓的“个体化证据”和“纯统计证据”没有本质区别。本文通过阐述尊重个体的含义来捍卫尊重个体的解释。它结合了尊重个性的理想主义说明和尊重个性的优先说明，并提供了区分个性化证据与非个性化证据的原则方法。