HU4640 Wk 1 Assignment 3

HU4640 Wk 1 Assignment 3

  • Submitted By: karos
  • Date Submitted: 04/22/2015 3:41 PM
  • Category: Psychology
  • Words: 391
  • Page: 2

Four Philosophers and the Trolley Car
Week 1 Assignment 3: Preparing for Unit 2
Four Philosophers and the Trolley Car

Would Ayn Rand throw the switch? Yes, she would. Ayn believed that a human’s primary objective is self interest. We all have the ability to make and process logic in the decisions we make. Ayn would make the decision to harm one person over five people but she would not throw herself in front of the trolly. She would make this decision because she believes that harming one person over five is more logical. She believed in self preservation over selflessness. Objectivism focuses on one’s own happiness as the moral purpose of his life with productive achievement as his most noble activity.
Would Jeremy Bentham throw the switch? Jeremy Betham would not throw the switch. He would through himself on the tracks to stop the trolley car so that the people on the tracks would not suffer or die. He is the founder of Utilitarianism theory. In the case of the trolley, Jeremy would be considered an ethical warrior because he valued the life of others and would overcome his own fears in order to aid others and to put himself at risk for their safety.
Would Immanuel Kant throw the switch? I am not sure if Immanuel Kant would throw the switch. He argued that fundamental concepts make up the structure of human experiences. That one’s past would be the source of his/her morals. I think that he would be very indecisive because he would be factoring in his own morals.
Would I throw the switch? I can not be certain of that either. The right thing to do would be to pull the switch and not throw anyone on the tracks. Saving five people is more reasonable than saving one. I would not throw myself on the tracks but would like to think that I would react to throw a large object on to the tracks to stop the trolley.

I have not been put in that scenario therefore I cant say that I would know what to do. Being in the trolley station and seeing people...

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