RE: J.J. Thompson's Violinist Thought Experiment Concerning Abortion
January 3, 2022 at 10:27 pm
(This post was last modified: January 3, 2022 at 10:28 pm by vulcanlogician.)
(January 3, 2022 at 9:33 pm)brewer Wrote: Making the choice is just the first step.
But, really, what I'm interested in comes prior to the step of making the choice. I'm talking about determining (as best you can) whether something is right or wrong. (Both/neither may also be good answers. Who knows?) But in every case, determination comes prior to choosing. The choice made doesn't always reflect the ethical determination made. A person can decide it's morally wrong to cheat on their wife... and then do it anyway. Likewise, they may decide it's morally acceptable to cheat on her, and then decide not too.
The ethical determination is independent even from what choice is made. Just like it's independent from the surrounding coercive social environment. It's like a math problem. You do it on scrap paper, and then what you write on the test --ie. choose-- is what has real world consequences.
