David Edmonds, “Would You Kill the Fat Man?” (Princeton UP, 2014)
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What is the trolley problem and why does it matter for moral philosophy?
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Welcome to the New Books and Philosophy channel of the New Books Network. My name is Robert Talese. I'm professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University. I co-host the channel with Carrie Figder. Carrie is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Iowa. Today, my guest is David Edmonds. We'll be talking about his new book, Would You Kill the Fat Man?, which is newly published by Princeton University Press. The trolley problem is a staple of contemporary moral philosophy. It centers around two scenarios involving a runaway trolley. In the first, a trolley is barreling down a track without any brakes, and off in the distance, five people are tied to its track. If you do nothing, they will be killed by the trolley.
But you can flip a switch, thereby turning the trolley onto a spur, where there is only one person tied. In this case, most people claim that one should indeed save the five by turning the trolley, even though this means that the one will be killed. Now consider a second case, which is just like the first, but for this difference. There is no spur onto which one could turn the trolley, but instead one could push a fat man on the track, and his size is sufficient to stop the trolley from killing the five. Again, should you push the fat man, thereby saving five lives at the expense of one? Here, most people's intuition flips. You may not push the fat man. But why not? What's the moral difference between the first and second cases?
This is the question at the core of trolleyology. In his book, Would You Kill the Fat Man?, David Edmonds explores the trolley problem in all of its complex variety, bringing into focus crucial philosophical distinctions and canvassing some of the fascinating empirical literature about real-time moral decision-making. This book is a work of rigorous philosophy that is also widely accessible to a non-professional audience. Let's turn now to the interview. Hello, Dave Edmonds.
Hi, Bob. How are you doing today? I'm doing very well, thank you. How are you?
Oh, I'm doing fine. Thank you so much for joining us on New Books and Philosophy.
Pleasure. Nice to be here.
Well, today on New Books and Philosophy, my guest is Dave Edmonds. His new book is titled Would You Kill the Fat Man? It's just been published by Princeton University Press and I suspect as many listeners, uh, will have already discerned, uh, Dave is writing about the trolley problem, uh, which again, as many of our listeners, I'm sure already know is a central issue in contemporary moral theory and is notoriously, um, complex and complicated and by some accounts absurd. Uh, but I think on all accounts, kind of, uh, fascinating. Um, It's a problem that can be stated very simply, and very shortly I will ask Dave to state it.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the trolley problem and why does it matter for moral philosophy?
0:00–8:21
2
How does David Edmonds explain the historical origins of the trolley dilemma?
8:21–16:44
3
Why do people’s intuitions differ between the switch‑case and the fat‑man case?
16:44–24:28
4
What role do intention and the doctrine of double effect play in these moral puzzles?
24:28–31:48
5
How do utilitarian philosophers respond to the trolley scenarios?
31:48–41:42
6
What does experimental philosophy reveal about our emotional vs. rational responses?
41:42–50:29
7
How can neuroscience and psychology inform our judgments about the trolley cases?
50:29–59:25
8
What conclusions does Edmonds draw about the moral acceptability of pushing the fat man?
59:25–1:08:37
Speakers
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