Would You Kill the Fat Man?: The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong [Kindle Edition]
Author: David Edmonds - ISBN: B00F8MIJ0I - Language: English - Format: PDF, EPUB
DESCRIPTION
A runaway train is racing toward five men who are tied to the track. Unless the train is stopped, it will inevitably kill all five men. You are standing on a footbridge looking down on the unfolding disaster. 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. Would you kill the fat man?
The question may seem bizarre. But it's one variation of a puzzle that has baffled moral philosophers for almost half a century and that more recently has come to preoccupy neuroscientists, psychologists, and other thinkers as well. In this book, David Edmonds, coauthor of the best-selling Wittgenstein's Poker, tells the riveting story of why and how philosophers have struggled with this ethical dilemma, sometimes called the trolley problem. In the process, he provides an entertaining and informative tour through the history of moral philosophy. Most people feel it's wrong to kill the fat man. But why? After all, in taking one life you could save five. As Edmonds shows, answering the question is far more complex--and important--than it first appears. In fact, how we answer it tells us a great deal about right and wrong.
Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong HardcoverEdmonds D Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong David Edmonds Hardcover 2013 19 95 13 95 ISBN Would You Kill the Fat Man and The Trolley Nov 22 2013 WOULD YOU KILL THE FAT MAN The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us About Right and Wrong By David Edmonds Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong by David EdmondsAmazon com Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley note taking and highlighting while reading Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong
DETAILS
- File Size: 1292 KB
- Print Length: 228 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 6, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00F8MIJ0I
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,904 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality
- #77 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality
REVIEWS
18 Reviews Kindle edition by David Edmonds Download it once and read it on your Kindle device The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong by David EdmondsDescription of the book Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong by Edmonds D Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong 2013 Very Fast Download Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong HardcoverWould You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong A runaway train is racing toward five men who are tied to the Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong by David Edmonds Add to List Add to List Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong eBook e il download wireless gratuito con Amazon Whispernet Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong David Edmonds Princeton Univ 19 95 240p Would You Kill the Fat Man The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us About Right and Wrong By Edmonds David Publishers Summary No Description Available
Would you Kill the Fat Man? by David Edmonds is a must read for anyone interested in moral philosophy or just what is the right thing to do. The title is based on a famous hypothetical situation in moral philosophy. There are various versions but the main one is as follows: 1. You are standing beside a trolley track. An out of controll trolley is speeding down the track. At the other end are five people who are tied to the track and will be killed by the oncoming trolley. But beside you there is a switch that will put the trolley onto a spur. At the end of this spur is one person tied to the track who will die. Do you switch the trolley onto the spur? 2. Now you are on a footbridge under which there is a trolley track. Again you see a trolley hurtling down the track toward five people tied to the track who will be killed. But alongside of you is a fat man who if you push him over will land on the track and stop the trolley. Of course he will be killed, but the five other people will survive. Do you push him over?
These two situations correspond to basic moral positions in philosophy. The first is utilitaritarianism as proposed by John Stuart Mill. Someone espousing this approach looks at the consequences of an act before deciding what to do and acts to maximize happiness or minimize pain. Such a person would not hesitate to throw the switch or push the fat man over since killing one person is less painful than killing five. The second approach is deontology which says that acts are right or wrong in and of themselves regardless of the consequences. The most noted person for this approach is Immanuel Kant and his formulation of the Categorical Imperative. Advocates of this approach would not push the fat man over because killing someone is wrong regardless of the consequences.
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