CRIZOE L.

RODILLO INTFILO EK

11417072

1. What is the doctrine of the double effect (DDE)? What are its four conditions? Explain
each condition briefly.

The doctrine of the double effect is a process for resolving moral issues which has two
effects, one good and the other bad. The doctrine also explains that a bad action can be
done in order to bring out the good consequence, while it can be permissible to allow a
good act even though there is a bad consequence. The four conditions are the ff:

- The Nature-of-the-Act Condition. The action has two natures and can’t be
broken, good and indifferent.

- The Means-End Condition. The bad effect should no be used to attain the
good effect.

- Right-Intention Condition. The good effect should not make the bad effecy be
intended to happen, which will make it immoral.

- The Proportionality Condition. The good effect must be at least equivalent in

importance to the bad effect.

2. Why is there an inadequate conceptual distinction between direct and oblique intention?
Explain via the thought experiment about the fat man stuck in the mouth of the cave.

The distinction between direct and oblique intention is inadequate in the scenario of the
fat man stuck in the mouth of the cave because in the case of direct intention, the people
involved may get away using oblique intention as the excuse that the people only wanted
the fat man to be blasted out of the cave, whereas it is obvious that the intention was to
kill the fat man in order to free themselves from the cave.

3. What is the solution of the DDE for the trolley problem (spur/sidetrack version)?

In the first variant, where a person is in the driver's seat, the driver must turn the trolley to
track with one person because any of the decision will still harm the people involved.
Therefore, the person must turn the trolley to the track that will only hit one person rather
than five people in order to get the "good" out of the situation.

The second variant places the person on top of a foot bridge with a fat man in front of
him/her. With this, it is advisable not to push the fat person towards the trolley because
this will not be directly intended in order to save the five people.
4. What are negative and positive duties? Explain the difference between (1) doctors
withholding a scarce drug and (2) doctors obtaining a body for medical purposes.

A positive duty corresponds to a positive right that he on whom the duty lies shall do some
positive act on behalf of the person entitled.

A negative duty corresponds to negative right wherein the person bound shall refrain from
some act which would operate to the prejudice of the person entitled.

Given the first case where the doctor is in a dilemma to choose whether to give the scarce
drug in large doses to one person or to five people in smaller doses. The doctor must
choose to save the larger group instead of the smaller group in order to not violate the
positive duty.

In the second case, the doctor must not aid some number of people at the expense of
inflicting injury upon a person making it valid for the negative duty.

5. What are the three different cases involving abortion that Philippa Foot mentions, and how
does she resolve each one?

The first case state that the situation in which nothing that can be done will save the life of
child and mother, but where the life of the mother can be saved by killing the child. Given
the certainty of the outcome, it is reasonable that the action that will save someone should
be done.

The second case involves the idea that it is possible to perform an operation which will
save the mother and kill the child or kill the mother and save the child. Phililippa Foot
stated that we should decide in favor of the mother when weighing her life against that of
the unborn child.

The third case involves wherein to save the mother we must kill the child, say by crushing
its skull, while if nothing is done the mother will perish but the child can be safely delivered
after her death. Philippa Foot answered that we may not intervene, since the child's death
would be directly intended while the mother's would not.