Would You Kill the Fat Man?

The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Would You Kill the Fat Man? by David Edmonds, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Edmonds ISBN: 9781400848386
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: October 6, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: David Edmonds
ISBN: 9781400848386
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: October 6, 2013
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Great Divergence by David Edmonds
Cover of the book No Enchanted Palace by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Computational Economics by David Edmonds
Cover of the book The Gross-Zagier Formula on Shimura Curves by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Universities in the Marketplace by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Knowing the Adversary by David Edmonds
Cover of the book The Sense of the Past by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Yield Curve Modeling and Forecasting by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Cop in the Hood by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Ethics and the Beast by David Edmonds
Cover of the book A Short Life of Kierkegaard (New in Paperback) by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Dead Ringers by David Edmonds
Cover of the book The New Constitutional Order by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Pricing the Planet's Future by David Edmonds
Cover of the book Welfare and Rational Care by David Edmonds
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy