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Rachels Ch. 1 - What Is Morality
Rachels Ch. 1 - What Is Morality
James Rachels
&
Stuart Rachels
The Problem of Definition
There are many rival theories, each expounding
a different conception of what it means to live
morally, and any definition that goes beyond
Socrates’ simple formulation (“how we ought to
live”) is bound to offend at least one of them.
Rachels proposes a ‘minimum conception’ of
morality: a core that every moral theory should
accept, at least as a starting point.
First, some moral controversies. . . .
First Example: Baby Theresa
Anencephalic infants: ‘babies without brains’
o Cerebrum, cerebellum, and top of skull are missing
o Have a brain stem, thus autonomic functions
(breathing, heartbeat, etc.) are possible
o Usually aborted in the US; otherwise, half are
stillborn and usually die within days
Baby Theresa’s parents volunteered her
organs for transplant. BUT. . .
Florida law forbids the removal of organs until the
donor is dead.
Baby Theresa died after nine days. Her organs were
too deteriorated to be harvested or transplanted.