Question 1

Of the various forms of sexual harassment that Crouch discusses-workplace, academic, and public-which one do you think is the most serious and most in need of remedy? Are there any serious forms of sexual harassment that Crouch does not discuss?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the various forms of sexual harassment...

Question 2

Of the various means of combating public harassment that Crouch discusses, which in your view are the most likely to be effective? Explain and defend your answer.
The Trolley Problem
Judith Jarvis Thomson

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the various means of combating public...

Question 3

Do you think there is any difference between the morality of turning the trolley and that of pushing the fat man off the bridge? If so, what makes the difference? If not, why do you think many people believe that there is a difference (even if you disagree)?
A

Accepted Answer

The answer of Do you think there is any difference...

Question 4

Why does Thomson tell the fat man story when she already has the basic trolley case? What is different about the fat man story? What quality of the stories is Thomson comparing or contrasting?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why does Thomson tell the fat man...

Question 5

Describe a real-world example that would be morally similar to the basic trolley case.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe a real-world example that would be...

Question 6

The trolley problem is whether it is better to kill one person or five people.

Accepted Answer

The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics that presents a dilemma: whether to take action that will lead to the death of one person to save five others, or do nothing and allow five people to die. It's about the ethical implications of action versus inaction, not about which is better in a simplistic sense.

Question 7

The trolley problem is whether it is better to act to kill one person or let five people die by not acting.

Accepted Answer

The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics that presents a scenario where a person must choose between actively diverting a trolley to kill one person or doing nothing and allowing the trolley to kill five people, thus questioning the morality of action versus inaction.

Question 8

Thomson claims that the trolley problem is only of interest to moral theorists.

Accepted Answer

The trolley problem is of interest not only to moral theorists but also to psychologists, neuroscientists, legal scholars, and the general public, as it explores fundamental questions about human morality, decision-making, and ethics applicable in various real-world contexts.

Question 9

Thomson says that most people think it is morally permissible to turn the trolley and kill one person.

Accepted Answer

In Judith Jarvis Thomson's analysis of the Trolley Problem, she acknowledges that a common intuition or judgment among many people is that it is morally permissible to turn the trolley to save five lives at the expense of one.

Question 10

In the fat man case, you imagine that you are a fat man falling onto the trolley lines.

Accepted Answer

In the fat man case, you imagine pushing a fat man onto the trolley lines to stop a trolley from killing five other people, not that you are the fat man falling onto the lines.

Question 11

In the fat man case, you imagine that you could save five lives by killing the fat man.

Accepted Answer

The "fat man" case is a thought experiment in ethics, specifically in discussions about utilitarianism and the trolley problem. It poses the scenario where one can save five lives by actively causing the death of one person, in this case, by pushing a fat man onto the tracks to stop a trolley from killing five others.

Question 12

In the fat man case, if you do nothing, the fat man will die.

Accepted Answer

In the fat man case, typically referring to a thought experiment in ethics and moral philosophy, the scenario usually involves a choice of whether to push a large man onto the tracks to stop a trolley from killing five other people. If you do nothing, the fat man does not die; instead, the five people on the tracks would.

Question 13

Thomson's question in this essay is why we should feel differently about the two trolley stories.

Accepted Answer

Thomson's essay explores the moral intuitions and ethical reasoning behind different trolley problem scenarios, questioning why people might have different reactions to similar moral dilemmas.

Question 14

In the trolley case, if you do nothing

Accepted Answer

In the classic trolley problem, if you do nothing, the trolley continues on its current track and kills five people. This scenario is used to explore ethical dilemmas involving direct action versus inaction.

Question 15

In the trolley case, if you turn the trolley

Accepted Answer

In the trolley problem, if you choose to turn the trolley, it diverts from its original path where it would have killed five people to a different track where it kills one person instead.

Question 16

According to Thomson, when people are confronted with the trolley case

Accepted Answer

Thomson's analysis of the trolley problem acknowledges the diversity in moral intuitions among people. Some believe it is morally permissible to turn the trolley to save more lives, while others go further to argue that one is morally obligated to do so, thus encompassing both views A and B.

Question 17

The moral dilemma of the trolley case is

Accepted Answer

The trolley case is a moral dilemma in which a person must choose between letting five people die or taking action that will result in the death of one person. The correct answer is C because it accurately describes the moral dilemma presented in the trolley case.

Question 18

One reason that you might have in favor of turning the trolley is that

Accepted Answer

The principle of utilitarianism supports turning the trolley because it results in the greatest good for the greatest number of people, by saving more lives at the expense of fewer.

Question 19

In the fat man case, if you do nothing

Accepted Answer

In the fat man case, if you do nothing, the trolley continues on its original path, leading to the death of five people on the track ahead, as the scenario typically posits no intervention to redirect the trolley or stop it.

Question 20

In the fat man case, you can't turn the trolley, but you can stop it by

Accepted Answer

In the fat man case, the scenario typically involves stopping a runaway trolley by pushing a fat man off a bridge to block the trolley, thereby saving the lives of several others on the track ahead. This option directly addresses the dilemma by suggesting an action (pushing the fat man) to stop the trolley.

Quiz 9: Moral Problems