Research Group
in Analytic Philosophy

Abstract

Recently there has been a "turnaround" in some people's views on whether it is morally permissible to redirect a deadly threat away from a greater number of people in a direction where it will unavoidably kill fewer other people. I hope to examine the new debate with respect to who, if anyone, may redirect the threat, whether the fact that one will kill someone but only let the greater number die is of crucial moral importance, and what might be special about some cases in which we face a choice of saving some by doing what will kill someone else.