Judith Jarvis Thomson 1929 – 2020
Judith Jarvis Thomson (1929 – 2020) was an American philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Analytic Philosophy.
Judith Jarvis Thomson was an American moral and metaphysical philosopher and a long-serving professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her A Defense of Abortion, published in 1971, became one of the most discussed papers in twentieth-century moral philosophy and inaugurated a new style of careful, scenario-driven argument in applied ethics. She also developed the trolley problem in its modern form, making it the central test case for theories of permissible harm. Her Realm of Rights articulated a comprehensive theory of moral rights, while late work returned to questions of action and metaphysics.
Key facts
- Nationality
- American
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Analytic Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson:
“A defense of abortion does not require a denial of personhood.”
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Attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson:
“We have rights, but we also have duties to one another.”
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Attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson:
“The trolley problem reveals the structure of our moral intuitions.”
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Attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson:
“What you may not do is not always what you must not allow to happen.”
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Attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson:
“Careful description of cases is the first task of moral philosophy.”
Judith Jarvis Thomson by topic
Frequently asked about Judith Jarvis Thomson
- When did Judith Jarvis Thomson live?
- Judith Jarvis Thomson was born in 1929 and died in 2020.
- Where was Judith Jarvis Thomson from?
- Judith Jarvis Thomson was an American philosopher of the Contemporary era.
- What philosophical movements is Judith Jarvis Thomson associated with?
- Judith Jarvis Thomson was associated with Analytic Philosophy.
- What was Judith Jarvis Thomson known for?
- Judith Jarvis Thomson was an American moral and metaphysical philosopher and a long-serving professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- How many quotes are attributed to Judith Jarvis Thomson?
- There are 9 attributed quotations from Judith Jarvis Thomson in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.