Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 272 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Synthese |
| Volume | 200 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 24 Jun 2022 |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2022 |
Abstract
Reflective equilibrium (RE)—the idea that we have to justify our judgments and principles through a process of mutual adjustment—is taken to be a central method in philosophy. Nonetheless, conceptions of RE often stay sketchy, and there is a striking lack of explicit and traceable applications of it. This paper presents an explicit case study for the application of an elaborate RE conception. RE is used to reconstruct the arguments from Thomson’s paper “Turning the Trolley” for why a bystander must not divert a runaway trolley from five workmen onto one. Analyzing Thomson’s resulting position with the RE-criteria has two main results: Firstly, the adjustment of one of her commitments can be defended. Secondly, no justified position in RE was reached. With respect to RE as a method, the main results from this application are: (1) There is at least one conception of RE that is sufficiently specified to be applicable; (2) the RE criteria put real constraints on the process of justification; and (3) an explicit application of RE has benefits in terms of clarity while at the same time providing guidance for how the justificatory process could be continued.
Keywords
- Methodology of ethics, Philosophical methods, Reconstruction, Reflective equilibrium, Trolley problem
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- Philosophy
- Social Sciences(all)
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In: Synthese, Vol. 200, No. 4, 272, 08.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Turning the trolley with reflective equilibrium
AU - Rechnitzer, Tanja
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of the project “Reflective Equilibrium–Reconception and Application” (Number 150251).
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Reflective equilibrium (RE)—the idea that we have to justify our judgments and principles through a process of mutual adjustment—is taken to be a central method in philosophy. Nonetheless, conceptions of RE often stay sketchy, and there is a striking lack of explicit and traceable applications of it. This paper presents an explicit case study for the application of an elaborate RE conception. RE is used to reconstruct the arguments from Thomson’s paper “Turning the Trolley” for why a bystander must not divert a runaway trolley from five workmen onto one. Analyzing Thomson’s resulting position with the RE-criteria has two main results: Firstly, the adjustment of one of her commitments can be defended. Secondly, no justified position in RE was reached. With respect to RE as a method, the main results from this application are: (1) There is at least one conception of RE that is sufficiently specified to be applicable; (2) the RE criteria put real constraints on the process of justification; and (3) an explicit application of RE has benefits in terms of clarity while at the same time providing guidance for how the justificatory process could be continued.
AB - Reflective equilibrium (RE)—the idea that we have to justify our judgments and principles through a process of mutual adjustment—is taken to be a central method in philosophy. Nonetheless, conceptions of RE often stay sketchy, and there is a striking lack of explicit and traceable applications of it. This paper presents an explicit case study for the application of an elaborate RE conception. RE is used to reconstruct the arguments from Thomson’s paper “Turning the Trolley” for why a bystander must not divert a runaway trolley from five workmen onto one. Analyzing Thomson’s resulting position with the RE-criteria has two main results: Firstly, the adjustment of one of her commitments can be defended. Secondly, no justified position in RE was reached. With respect to RE as a method, the main results from this application are: (1) There is at least one conception of RE that is sufficiently specified to be applicable; (2) the RE criteria put real constraints on the process of justification; and (3) an explicit application of RE has benefits in terms of clarity while at the same time providing guidance for how the justificatory process could be continued.
KW - Methodology of ethics
KW - Philosophical methods
KW - Reconstruction
KW - Reflective equilibrium
KW - Trolley problem
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132946498&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11229-022-03762-3
DO - 10.1007/s11229-022-03762-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85132946498
VL - 200
JO - Synthese
JF - Synthese
SN - 0039-7857
IS - 4
M1 - 272
ER -