Thomson’s Doctrine entails that the moral difference between Switch and Trolley- Initiator is immense , as is that between Hospital-2 and Hospital-3 (since in the latter members of each pair, you intiate a NEW threat, rather than divert a pre-existing one).
In what way has Thomson has changed her thoughts about the trolley problem in turning the trolley?
In “Turning the Trolley” Thomson has changed her thoughts about the trolley problem in what way? ... She now thinks it doesn’t matter whether you turn the trolley or not . The difference between “Bystander’s Two Options” and “Bystander’s Three Options” is that the third option is that the bystander can: a.
What’s the correct answer to the trolley problem?
The only way to save the lives of the five workers is to divert the trolley onto another track that only has one worker on it . If Adam diverts the trolley onto the other track, this one worker will die, but the other five workers will be saved.
Is turning the trolley morally permissible?
Most people would agree that it would be at least morally permissible for the bystander to throw the switch. On Foot’s analysis, the bystander would thereby violate a negative duty not to kill one person.
What would a consequentialist do in the Trolley Problem?
As the trolley problem runs its course, consequentialists tend to adopt one of two strategies: (a) silently take comfort in the fact that deontological rivals face their own enduring difficulties , or (b) appeal to cognitive psychology to discredit the deontological intuitions on which the trolley problem depends.
Should you push the fat man?
Unless the train is stopped, it will inevitably kill all five men. ... However, a fat man, a stranger, is standing next to you: if you push him off the bridge, he will topple onto the line and, although he will die, his chunky body will stop the train, saving five lives.
Why is the Trolley Problem interesting?
The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics about a fictional scenario in which an onlooker has the choice to save 5 people in danger of being hit by a trolley , by diverting the trolley to kill just 1 person. ... That person is certain to be killed if the switch is activated.
Why is the trolley problem a problem?
Trolley problems highlight the difference between deontological and consequentialist ethical systems . The central question that these dilemmas bring to light is on whether or not it is right to actively inhibit the utility of an individual if doing so produces a greater utility for other individuals.
What does the Trolley Problem tell us about the nature of ethics and the specific problems it deals with?
The trolley problem is a question of human morality , and an example of a philosophical view called consequentialism. This view says that morality is defined by the consequences of an action, and that the consequences are all that matter. ... It’s a question of human morality.
What is the moral difference between the the Trolley Problem and the Fat Man problem?
In numerical terms, the two situations are identical. A strict utilitarian, concerned only with the greatest happiness of the greatest number, would see no difference : In each case, one person dies to save five. Yet people seem to feel differently about the “Fat Man” case.
When was the Trolley Problem invented?
This is the crux of the classic thought experiment known as the trolley dilemma, developed by philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967 and adapted by Judith Jarvis Thomson in 1985.
Is Thomson a utilitarian?
William Thompson (1775 – 28 March 1833) was an Irish political and philosophical writer and social reformer, developing from utilitarianism into an early critic of capitalist exploitation whose ideas influenced the cooperative, trade union and Chartist movements as well as Karl Marx.
Where did the trolley problem originate?
Its story begins in 1967 at Oxford University , when the “grand dame of philosophy” Philippa Foot devised the example of the runaway streetcar—“tram” in England, “trolley” in the U.S.—while discussing the permissibility of abortion.
What is Judith Thomson known for?
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. Judith Jarvis Thomson (October 4, 1929 – November 20, 2020) was an American philosopher who studied and worked on ethics and metaphysics. She is credited with naming, developing, and initiating the extensive literature on the trolley problem first posed by Philippa Foot.
What is consequentialist moral reasoning?
Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are . For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do.
Has the trolley problem happened in real life?
Now, scientists have tested this famous thought experiment in real life for the first time: with almost 200 human participants, caged mice, electric shocks – and one heck of a decision to make. ...
What is the Trolley Problem quizlet?
The moral dilemma of the Trolley Driver case is ... whether it is better to let five die than to act and bring about one person’s death. ... If you act, one person will die, but if you do not, five will die.
Is utilitarianism a philosophy?
Understanding Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is a tradition of ethical philosophy that is associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, two late 18th- and 19th-century British philosophers, economists, and political thinkers.
How would a Deontologist respond to the trolley problem?
A deontologist would further argue that killing is never acceptable — it would be immoral to pull the lever to kill on (in the above case pulling the lever would be considered actively killing the person) , even if that meant allowing the trolley to continue on its course to kill 100 people.
How are the basic trolley case and the Fatman case morally similar?
It is morally permissible to turn the trolley . ... It is morally required to NOT turn the trolley. In the fat man case, you can’t turn the trolley, but you can stop it.
What is the point of thought experiments?
Thought experiments are usually rhetorical. No particular answer can or should be found. The purpose is to encourage speculation, logical thinking and to change paradigms . Thought experiments push us outside our comfort zone by forcing us to confront questions we cannot answer with ease.
What is the ethical problem in the case of Baby Theresa?
Several states have since passed laws making it illegal to pay a surrogate. Baby Theresa posed a much greater dilemma for society. Making an exception for anencephalic babies to be cut open, alive , while their organs are extracted not only sounds medieval, it makes us wonder what other exceptions will come next.
What does utilitarianism conclude about the Trolley Problem?
In the Trolley Problem, a train is hurtling down the tracks towards five men stuck in its path. ... The utilitarian answer is that the moral decision is to sacrifice the heavyweight man, because you’d still be killing one to save five .
Is it OK to sacrifice a few to save many?
In practice, the life of that one patient is worth more than the lives of the other five. This is a matter of what ethical school you belong to. If you are a Utilitarian, then sacrificing the few for the need of the many is a reasonable thing to do.
Why ethics is also called moral philosophy?
Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition.
What is the experience machine thought experiment What is it supposed to show about hedonism?
It is an attempt to refute ethical hedonism by imagining a choice between everyday reality and an apparently preferable simulated reality . If the primary thesis of hedonism is that “pleasure is the good”, then any component of life that is not pleasurable does nothing directly to increase one’s well-being.
Is Thomson a consequentialist?
To achieve this goal, Thomson first turns her attention to Consequentialism , which she characterizes as the view that ”a person ought to do a thing if and only if the world will be better if he does it than if he does any of the other things it is open to him to do at the time” (p. 7).
What is Thomson’s position on abortion?
According to Thomson’s position, any fetus has the potential for being aborted/killed immorally but only those fetuses given a right to the woman’s body have the potential for being aborted/killed unjustly.
