PHIL 181 - Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature
Lecture 14 - The Trolley Problem. The discussion of Kant from last lecture continues with a statement and explication of his first formulation of the categorical imperative: act only in such a way that you can will your maxim to be a universal law. Professor Gendler shows how Kant uses the categorical imperative to argue for particular moral duties, such as the obligation to keep promises. In the second part of the lecture, Philippa Foot's Trolley Problem is introduced, which poses the problem of reconciling two powerful conflicting moral intuitions. A critique of Foot's solution to the problem is explored, and the lecture ends with Judith Jarvis Thomson's proposed alternative. (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 14 - The Trolley Problem |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. Introducing the Categorical Imperative |
| [00:11:30] | 2. Applying and Characterizing the Categorical Imperative |
| [00:20:16] | 3. The Aim of a Moral Theory |
| [00:25:02] | 4. The Trolley Problem |
| References |
| Lecture 14 - The Trolley Problem Instructor: Professor Tamar Gendler. Resources: Reading Guide 14 [PDF]; Directed Exercise 5 [PDF]; Credit List [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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