Skip to content
Philippa Foot episode artwork

Jun 5, 2025 51 min

Philippa Foot

from Select Episodes Hosted by Philosophy Talk

More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/philippa-foot. Philippa Foot invented the thought experiment that famously became known as the Trolley Problem. Despite the vast industry of “trolleyology” it inspired, Foot’s goal to illuminate debates on abortion and euthanasia often gets lost in the mix. So, how did Foot use this thought experiment to distinguish between doing versus allowing? What did she mean by the "Doctrine of Double Effect"? Why did she think that cultivating classic virtues—justice, courage, prudence, and temperance—was in our own rational self-interest? And what made her later change her mind? Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with John Hacker-Wright from the University of Guelph, author of "Philippa Foot's Moral Thought."

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Philippa Foot

0:00 51:59

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Select Episodes?

This episode is 51 minutes long.

When was this Select Episodes episode published?

This episode was published on June 5, 2025.

Can I download this Select Episodes episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.