Notes on Justice Lecture
Introduction
- Course funded by additional sources.
- The topic of the course is justice.
Moral Dilemma: The Trolley Problem
- Scenario: Driver of a trolley car, speeding towards five workers on the track.
- Can switch tracks, killing one worker instead of five.
Questions to Consider
- What is the right thing to do?
- Poll results: Majority would switch tracks to kill one instead of five.
Reasons for Choices
- Majority: "Better to kill one than five."
- Minority: Concern that this reasoning could justify genocide.
Alternative Scenario: The Bridge Dilemma
- Situation: Onlooker on a bridge can push a fat man to save five workers.
- Poll results: Most people would not push the man.
Discussion Points
- Difference in moral reasoning between the first and second scenarios.
- Majority argues that pushing the fat man is an active choice, while switching tracks is a desperate decision.
Additional Scenario: The Doctor's Dilemma
- Doctor must choose between saving one severely injured patient or five moderately injured patients.
- Poll results: Majority would save the five.
Transplant Surgeon Scenario
- A surgeon can take organs from one healthy patient to save five.
- Poll results: No one supports the idea of taking the organs.
Moral Principles Discussed
- Consequentialist Moral Reasoning: Morality based on consequences (utilitarianism).
- Categorical Moral Reasoning: Morality based on absolute duties and rights, independent of consequences.
Key Philosophers
- Jeremy Bentham: Utilitarianism, maximize utility (pleasure over pain).
- Immanuel Kant: Categorical moral reasoning.
Course Structure
- Reading influential philosophical texts (Aristotle, Locke, Kant, Mill).
- Debating contemporary political and legal controversies (e.g., affirmative action, free speech).
Risks of Philosophy
- Personal Risks: Self-knowledge may unsettle familiar beliefs.
- Political Risks: Philosophy may complicate one's role as a citizen, leading to potential skepticism.
Skepticism
- Acknowledgment that philosophical questions have persisted through time.
- The challenge of moral reflection is unavoidable.
Case Study: Queen vs. Dudley and Stevens
- Real-life case of cannibalism at sea.
- Discussion of whether their actions were morally permissible.
- Majority opinion leaned towards conviction, but there were arguments for necessity and survival.
Questions Raised
- Is necessity a valid moral defense for murder?
- Does consent change the moral implications of an action?
- What is the role of fair procedures in moral decision-making?
Conclusion
- The course aims to explore these moral questions through readings and discussions.
- Upcoming readings will include works by Bentham and Mill.
Note
This lecture emphasizes moral reasoning and invites students to critically engage with complex ethical dilemmas.