Many of us have heard of the ticking bomb scenario. But everyday people face a choice between doing bad to achieve good, and letting the world slip into chaos. How should we respond to this? Is it acceptable to do evil in order to do good? And what exactly is 'doing' evil? Does it differ from doing something morally wrong? In this interview, philosopher Stephen de Wijze outlines the messy issue of the Problem of Dirty Hands, what evil really is and why it may make sense to call acts, but not people, evil.
#philosophy #ethics #morality
Stephen De Wijze is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester.
Visit IAI.tv for our full library of debates, talks, articles and podcasts from international thought leaders and world-class academics.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics.