Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Week 1.2
WHAT IS WRONG WITH
KILLING?
Moral dilemmas 2
Principle
In evaluating this principle, there are three
things we can do:
1. Check the implications of the principle, in
hypothetical cases.
2. Check the principle for its universality, and
related features.
3. Examine any presuppositions that the
principle involves.
1. Implications 5
letting die
Bathtub 1: Smith plans to murder his
grandmother, who is senile and terminally ill.
Smith hears her taking a bath, so he goes
upstairs and holds her underwater until she
drowns.
Part II: Killing versus 10
letting die
Bathtub 2: Jones also has a grandmother that
is senile and terminally ill and also plans to
murder her. Jones hears her taking a bath, so
he goes upstairs intending to hold her
underwater until she drowns.
letting die
Is Smiths behaviour morally worse than that of
Jones?
letting die
Driver: Davis is driving a car at high speed and
fatally
injures a child.