Telling Moral Tales: Exploring Ways of Enhancing the Realism and Explanatory Power of Ethical Thought Experiments

摘要

James Wilson has criticised thought experiments in philosophical ethics for failing to reflect the reality of everyday life. As against this, many such experiments owe their potential value and efficacy to an abstract simplicity which gives them widespread explanatory pow er and application. Through the examination of two particular arguments—Peter Singer’s “Shallow Pond” and Philippa Foot’s “Trolley Problem”—a number of suggestions are made for strengthening the realism of ethical thought experiments by reference to sources drawn from literature and social science. The principal aim is to enhance the real-world relevance and cogency of the thought experiments by offering suggestions for material which can reinforce the main points of the arguments. Such supplementary support—including references to the current Coronavirus pandemic—for the ethical thought experiments is intended to enhance teaching and learning in moral education and philosophical ethics at all levels.