Question

1. Consider the following scenario: You see a runaway trolley moving toward five tied-up people Iving on the man track Standing next to a lever that controls a switch. There is no time to untie the people. If you tied-up people lying on the main track. You are lever, the trolley will be redirected onto a side track and the five neople on the mana e saved. However, there is a single person Iving on the side track. You have two options: 1. Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track. 2. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. If you are a Kantian ethicist how do you reason? What do you do? If you are a utilitarian, how do you reason? What do you do? If you are a virtue ethicist, how do you reason? What do you do? 2. Consider the following scenario: A large man leading a group of people out of a cave is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide will be upon them, and unless he is unstuck, they will all be drowned except the fat man, whose head is out of the cave. Fortunately, or unfortunately, someone has with him a stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the fat man loose without using dynamite which will inevitably kill him; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. If you are a Kantian ethicist how do you reason? What do you do? If you are a utilitarian, how do you reason? What do you do? If you are a virtue ethicist, how do you reason? What do you do?

Answer 1

1.

Kantian Ethics: Kantian Ethics is able to answer the question of what makes an action right whilst still taking as the central activity the development of a good will.

So i will pull the lever and divert the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person and save the five.

In utilitarianism the goal is to increase happiness for the greatest number of people. This often requires self-sacrifice and it can be quite demanding to figure out what decision will have the best consequences and the most happiness.

So i will pull the lever and divert the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person and save the five.

Virtue Ethics does provide answers to other ethical questions as well. For example, adherents of Virtue Ethics can provide a characterisation of what counts as a right action whilst recognising that judgements about character are prior to judgements about the rightness or wrongness of actions.

So i will pull the lever and divert the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person and save the five.

2.

Kantian Ethics: Kantian Ethics is able to answer the question of what makes an action right whilst still taking as the central activity the development of a good will.

I don't use the dynamite no matter if we will be drowned.

In utilitarianism the goal is to increase happiness for the greatest number of people. This often requires self-sacrifice and it can be quite demanding to figure out what decision will have the best consequences and the most happiness.

I don't use the dynamite no matter if we will be drowned.

.Virtue Ethics does provide answers to other ethical questions as well. For example, adherents of Virtue Ethics can provide a characterisation of what counts as a right action whilst recognising that judgements about character are prior to judgements about the rightness or wrongness of actions.

I will use the dynamite and save ourselves first.