Problem
Reading on Mill vs. Kant: ONeill- Kant and Utilitarianism Contrasted.pdfDownload ONeill- Kant and Utilitarianism Contrasted.pdf
Now, using the article on the trolley problem (The Trolley Problem, by Judith Thomson, and (Turning the Trolley (Thomson)), explain in a sentence or two how utilitarians and Kantians would solve that problem.
Task
Goals:
A. Compare and contrast Utilitarianism and Deontology through discussion involving the trolley problem to better understand the differences between the theories.
B. Carefully analyze philosophical texts to understand a philosopher's argument and apply it to a moral problem.
Now that we have two ethical theories in our tool kit, we can gain a greater understanding of these two theories by comparing them. We can compare these two theories by applying them to the timeless issue of the trolley problem. Would Mill and Kant come to similar conclusions regarding the moral status this issue, or or would they disagree?
In Writing:
Answer the following questions about the two readings for today. While there is no word minimum, a complete, well defended answer will typically be no shorter than a paragraph.
A. Carefully define what the author (and the world) means by "the trolley problem". "rules of engagement."
B. What is the "deontological approach" to the trolley problem?
C. Contrast that with the "consequentialist approach" to the same problem.
D. Evaluate, for yourself, the trolley problem. What would you do, and why? Think, of course, in terms of deontology or consequentialism (or both) - or perhaps another theory?