The 'Big Book' is a thought experiment developed by Ludwig Wittgenstein about the nature of ethics and the verifiability of ethical knowledge. This account is given by him in an early work, the 1929 Lecture on Ethics, and it matches also his position given in the early Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Proposition 6.41).
The experience machine or pleasure machine is a thought experiment put forward by philosopher Robert Nozick in his 1974 book Anarchy, State, and Utopia. It is an attempt to refute ethical hedonism by imagining a choice between everyday reality and an apparently preferable simulated reality.
Kavka's toxin puzzle is a thought experiment about the possibility of forming an intention to perform an act which, following from reason, is an action one would not actually perform. It was presented by moral and political philosopher Gregory S. Kavka in 'The Toxin Puzzle' (1983), and grew out of his work in deterrence theory and mutual assured destruction.
The psychology of eating meat is an area of study seeking to illuminate the confluence of morality, emotions, cognition, and personality characteristics in the phenomenon of the consumption of meat. Research into the psychological and cultural factors of meat-eating suggests correlations with masculinity, support for hierarchical values, and reduced openness to experience.
The mere addition paradox (also known as the repugnant conclusion) is a problem in population ethics identified by Derek Parfit and discussed in his book Reasons and Persons (1984). The paradox identifies the mutual incompatibility of four intuitively compelling assertions about the relative value of populations.
In philosophy, an ethical dilemma, also called an ethical paradox or moral dilemma, is a situation in which two or more conflicting moral imperatives, none of which overrides the other, confront an agent. A closely related definition characterizes an ethical dilemma as a situation in which every available choice is wrong.
The paradox of analysis (or Langford–Moore paradox) is a paradox that concerns how an analysis can be correct or informative but not both. The problem was formulated by philosopher G. E. Moore in his book Principia Ethica, and first named by C. H. Langford in his article 'The Notion of Analysis in Moore's Philosophy' (in The Philosophy of G. E. Moore, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp, Northwestern University, 1942, pp.
In ethics, the plank of Carneades is a thought experiment first proposed by the academic skeptic philosopher Carneades of Cyrene. It explores the concept of self-defense in relation to murder.
The ticking time bomb scenario is a thought experiment that has been used in the ethics debate over whether interrogational torture can ever be justified. The scenario can be formulated as follows: Suppose that a person with knowledge of an imminent terrorist attack that will kill many people is in the hands of the authorities, and he will disclose the information needed to prevent the attack only if he is tortured.
The trolley problem is a series of thought experiments in ethics, psychology and artificial intelligence involving stylized ethical dilemmas in a scenario of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number. The series usually begins with a scenario in which a runaway trolley (tram) or train is on course to collide with and kill a number of people (traditionally five) down the railway track, but a driver or by
The utility monster is a thought experiment in the study of ethics created by philosopher Robert Nozick in 1974 as a criticism of utilitarianism.
A Defense of Abortion' is a moral philosophy essay by Judith Jarvis Thomson first published in Philosophy & Public Affairs in 1971. Granting for the sake of argument that the fetus has a right to life, Thomson uses thought experiments to argue that the right to life does not include, entail, or imply the right to use someone else's body to survive and that induced abortion is therefore morally permissible.