Ancient Philosophy
Ethical Dilemmas/Thought Experiments
Movies
100

This Chinese philosopher called for individuals to live peacefully while paying respects to their parents and ancestors. They have a branch of philosophy named after them

Confucious

100

This famous thought experiment requires one to choose between saving five people at the expense of one

Trolley problem

100

This purple villain used utilitarianism to justify eradicating half of the universe's life

Thanos

200

In this famous work, Plato gives us the allegory of a cave.

The Republic


200

In this thought experiment a ship is replaced plank by plank during a long journey at sea

Ship of Theseus

200

This movie, seen throughout internet culture, borrows heavily from famous thought experiments such as the experience machine and the allegory of a cave

The Matrix

300

Plato refers to the realm in which we perceive things through our senses as this

Realm of becoming

300

Peter Singer's drowning child thought experiment looked to connect to this modern day scenario

Donating to charity

300

This human superhero follows rules of Kantian absolutism in dealing with criminals

Batman

400

This ancient Chinese philosophy claimed that it was selfish to mourn those who died of old age and held that we should instead celebrate their lives

Taoism,  Lao Tzu.

400

This response is what Kant gave when posed with the situation of the Axe Murderer

Kant held that lying is an absolute wrong. One cannot lie to the axe murderer.

400
In this universe oringally starring Harrison Ford, recently rebooted, toys with ideas of identity and free will

Blade Runner

500

Thomas Aquinas sought to synthesize the ideas of this ancient Greek philosopher with Christianity

Aristotle

500

W.K. Clifford asserted we all have a(n) _______ duty using a thought experiment of an old ship and its captain

Epistemic duty. Clifford's ship thought experiment/a ship unworthy at sea

500

This Steven Spielberg movie starring Tom Cruise from the early 2000s looks at free will and determinism using the criminal justice system

Minority Report