Philosophy: Ethics Thought Experiments and Reasoning Worksheet

Question 1

A runaway trolley is headed toward five workers on the track. You can pull a lever to switch the trolley onto another track where one worker will be hit. Should you pull the lever? Explain your answer using at least one moral principle.

Accepted Answer

A strong answer states a clear choice and supports it with a principle. For example, a utilitarian answer might say you should pull the lever because saving five lives produces less overall harm than allowing five people to die. A different answer might argue that intentionally redirecting harm toward one person is morally wrong.

Question 2

In a hospital, five patients will die without organ transplants. A healthy visitor has organs that could save all five patients, but removing them would kill the visitor. Explain why this case may feel different from the trolley case, even though both involve one life and five lives.

Accepted Answer

This case may feel different because killing the visitor uses an innocent person as a means to save others, while pulling the trolley lever may be seen as redirecting an existing danger. Many people think there is a moral difference between allowing harm, redirecting harm, and directly causing harm.

Question 3

A student promises to keep a friend's secret. Later, the student learns the secret involves a plan to cheat on a major exam. Should the student keep the promise or tell someone? Explain using duty-based reasoning.

Accepted Answer

A duty-based answer should identify competing duties, such as the duty to keep promises and the duty to be honest or prevent unfairness. The student may decide to tell someone because the duty to prevent cheating and protect fairness is stronger than the duty to keep a harmful secret.

Question 4

Define the difference between a moral claim and a factual claim. Then write one example of each related to the issue of lying.

Accepted Answer

A factual claim describes what is or can be checked with evidence, such as 'People sometimes lie to avoid punishment.' A moral claim says what is right, wrong, good, or bad, such as 'It is wrong to lie to a friend.'

Question 5

A person lies to protect a friend from embarrassment. Analyze this action from a consequentialist point of view.

Accepted Answer

A consequentialist answer judges the lie by its results. If the lie prevents serious harm and does not create larger problems, a consequentialist may say it is acceptable. If the lie damages trust or causes greater harm later, a consequentialist may say it is wrong.

Question 6

A person lies to protect a friend from embarrassment. Analyze this action from a Kantian or duty-based point of view.

Accepted Answer

A Kantian or duty-based answer focuses on whether lying violates a moral rule or duty. It may argue that lying is wrong because it disrespects another person's ability to know the truth and make informed choices, even if the lie has kind intentions.

Question 7

A city can spend its budget on either a new sports stadium that many people will enjoy or a clean water system that will help fewer people but prevent serious illness. Use utilitarian reasoning to decide what the city should do.

Accepted Answer

Using utilitarian reasoning, the city should choose the option that produces the greatest overall well-being and reduces the most serious harm. The clean water system may be the better choice because preventing illness is a major benefit, even if fewer people directly benefit from it.

Question 8

Explain the principle of universalizability. Then apply it to the rule 'It is acceptable to break promises whenever it is convenient.'

Accepted Answer

Universalizability means asking whether a rule could consistently be followed by everyone. If everyone broke promises whenever convenient, trust in promises would collapse, so the rule would undermine itself and would not be morally acceptable under this principle.

Question 9

A self-driving car must choose between swerving to avoid three pedestrians and staying on course to protect its passenger. Identify one ethical question programmers must answer when designing the car's decision rules.

Accepted Answer

One ethical question is whether the car should be programmed to minimize total harm, protect its passenger first, follow traffic laws strictly, or treat all lives equally. Programmers must decide which moral principles should guide the car when every option involves harm.

Question 10

What is the difference between an argument and an opinion in ethical reasoning? Use an example about animal testing.

Accepted Answer

An opinion states a belief, such as 'Animal testing is wrong.' An argument gives reasons for a belief, such as 'Animal testing is wrong because animals can suffer and we should not cause suffering unless there is a very strong justification.'

Question 11

A lifeboat has room for only one more person. Two people are waiting: a doctor who may save lives later and a teenager who is not trained in medicine. Name two possible criteria for deciding who gets the seat, and explain one strength or weakness of each.

Accepted Answer

One criterion is usefulness to others, which may favor the doctor because the doctor could save more lives later, but it may treat people mainly by their social role. Another criterion is equal chance, such as a lottery, which treats people fairly but may not produce the best future outcome.

Question 12

A company discovers that one of its products is unsafe, but announcing the problem will cost millions of dollars and hurt its reputation. Explain what virtue ethics would ask company leaders to consider.

Accepted Answer

Virtue ethics would ask what a good and responsible leader would do, focusing on traits such as honesty, courage, fairness, and concern for others. It would likely encourage the leaders to act with integrity by warning the public and fixing the problem.

Question 13

Read this argument: 'If an action is legal, then it is morally right. This action is legal. Therefore, it is morally right.' Identify a possible weakness in the argument.

Accepted Answer

A weakness is that legality and morality are not always the same. Some legal actions may still be unfair, harmful, or dishonest, and some morally right actions have been illegal in certain societies. The argument depends on a questionable first premise.

Question 14

A person finds a wallet with cash and an ID inside. No one is watching. Compare how consequentialism, duty-based ethics, and virtue ethics might each support returning the wallet.

Accepted Answer

Consequentialism might support returning the wallet because it helps the owner and builds trust. Duty-based ethics might support returning it because stealing is wrong and people have a duty to respect others' property. Virtue ethics might support returning it because an honest and just person would do so.

Question 15

Choose one ethical dilemma from this worksheet and write a short paragraph explaining your final judgment. Your paragraph should include a claim, at least two reasons, and one possible objection to your view.

Accepted Answer

A strong response includes a clear moral claim, at least two supporting reasons, and a fair objection. For example, a student might argue that pulling the trolley lever is right because it saves more lives and reduces total harm, while also acknowledging the objection that it intentionally redirects danger toward one person.

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Philosophy: Ethics Thought Experiments and Reasoning

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