Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 01 "THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER"

PART ONE: THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER
If you had to choose between (1) killing one person to save the lives of five others and (2) doing nothing even though you knew that five people would die right before your eyes if you did nothing—what would you do? What would be the right thing to do? Thats the hypothetical scenario Professor Michael Sandel uses to launch his course on moral reasoning. After the majority of students votes for killing the one person in order to save the lives of five others, Sandel presents three similar moral conundrums—each one artfully designed to make the decision more difficult. As students stand up to defend their conflicting choices, it becomes clear that the assumptions behind our moral reasoning are often contradictory, and the question of what is right and what is wrong is not always black and white.

PART TWO: THE CASE FOR CANNIBALISM

Sandel introduces the principles of utilitarian philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, with a famous nineteenth century legal case involving a shipwrecked crew of four. After nineteen days lost at sea, the captain decides to kill the weakest amongst them, the young cabin boy, so that the rest can feed on his blood and body to survive. The case sets up a classroom debate about the moral validity of utilitarianism—and its doctrine that the right thing to do is whatever produces "the greatest good for the greatest number."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Michael Sandel
• Justice
• Harvard University
• WGBH
• humanities
• philosophy
• citizenship

[AmericanRiver]

Interesting:( Glad I have a Cal hat on:)

[davecraig123]

@RONALDPARLEE MLK Jr said, "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live." :)

[LorjanCelaj]

Great experience!!!



[lafkdjay]

If the utilitarianism argument were enforced today, the white collar crimes (which harmed far more people than blue collar crimes, which usually affect a single family/person) would be punished more severely.

[Malzzel]

I've been watching these videos in my Theory of Knowledge class, very interesting stuff! Although, the students have some silly answers and poor justifications. ;P

But, these are hard choices to make, indeed.

[wsoreviews1]

Your primary sound is very trendy :)

[schmezl]

@37:35 Rebecca Black

[user7897]

Now I know where all the Asian students go after HS!

[57eer]

@FromHiBrasil Interesting questions.... BTW, there was nothing in the pronunciation or comment of "black dude" that would suggest that he is from the South - a rather peculiar and irrelevant assumption.

[onxiaftw]

@yeoksamroyalvilla no ive just liked her

[AbelGarza01]

698 people lost the lottery jackpot

[yeoksamroyalvilla]

@onxiaftw horny much?