The Trolley Problem, Or Would You Throw The Fat Guy Off The Bridge?: A Philosophical Conundrum (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
The book takes a famous philosophical conundrum and presents it as a court case. We hear the prosecution's argument, defence's argument, and perspectives from various other people (e.g. bishop - religious viewpoint, professor - intellectual viewpoint, etc). The presentation format was interesting yet practical. Language was also very concise and easy to understand. At the end of the book, the jury delivers its verdict, and we also get to read each juror's individual thoughts on the case, which is once again interesting because we have a myriad of people coming from different jobs and therefore looking at things from different angles (e.g. ex-military man, nurse, artist, etc). The epilogue was also wonderfully delivered.This is a great book for non-Philosophy students. What we have here is neat way to communicate some concepts of moral philosophy in the form of a series of discussions about a hypothetical moral dilemma. Along the way we are treated to some of the more thoughtful work of great thinkers and some modern research into what constitutes a sense of right or wrong, good or bad for human beings. There is some specific terminology and jargon from the philosopher's bag of tricks, but they are carefully explained in such a way that "utilitarian" and "categorical imperative" will be understood in their application to the Trolley Problem. I thought the device of creating the "Court of Public Opinion" was brilliant, because it was based not on a common notion of what it means in a metaphorical sense, but on the actual fact that it has been the will of the public to change our Constitution multiple times to meet specific challenges and desires of the people. This is a very thoughtful book, presented in an interesting manner, with a title that just tugged at my curiosity. It works!
What do You think about The Trolley Problem, Or Would You Throw The Fat Guy Off The Bridge?: A Philosophical Conundrum (2013)?
Thought provoking. Analysis of critical thinking and moral/ethical dilemmas.
—dan
Nice quick read for a Saturday afternoon with a little philosophy lite.
—adprch
