how would YOU solve a moral dilemma?

ethical thought experiments seem to pique everyone's interests. but are they actually helpful for ethical decision-making? how do we expand our range of possible choices in a given situation. i consider the power and limits of moral imagination.
this video was so disorganized, i'm sorry... but hey, screw systematic structure, we're talking about particularism today!

**CORRECTION: by Tim Chappell, i mean Sophie Grace Chappell. my brain did a weird mixing of tim in tim-the-terrorist and chappell lol.

thank you sisphyus 55 and BABILA. for their animations and voiceovers!
@Sisyphus55 @BABILA.

EDITOR:

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* i'd love to hear what you all have to say *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 intro
00:19 the baby problem (thanks sisyphus 55)
00:48 applied ethics vs. metaethics
4:19 baking brookies for you
5:45 systematic/scientific ethics
8:52 what's wrong with systematic ethics?
9:51 oppy's atomic bomb dilemma
16:00 the importance of imagining the impossible
18:07 why our imagination can be crap
25:45 "tim the terrorist" (thanks sisyphus 55 & BABILA.)
30:36 improving moral imagination
34:51 outro

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socials:
,, instagram: @olisunvia
,, tiktok: @olisunvia (v lame pls don't judge)
,, spotify: liv sun

FOR BUSINESS INQUIRIES:
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SOURCES:
Arpaly, Nomy. (2020). “What Is It Like to Have a Crappy Imagination?”
Chappell, Sophie Grace. (2014). Knowing What To Do: Imagination, Virtue, and Platonism in Ethics.
Kind, Amy. (2020) “What Imagination Teaches.”
Nussbaum, Martha. (1986). “The Discernment of Perception: An Aristotelian Conception
of Private and Public Rationality.”
Rivage-Seul, Marguerite. (1987). "Peace Education: Imagination and the Pedagogy of the Oppressed."
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2023). "Transformative Experience."

MUSIC:
Déodat de Séverac - Valse Romantique
Yury Vesnyak - Jazz Waltz 'Charm'
Anatoly Lyadov: Prélude in b flat minor
Isaac Albéniz - Barcarola
Chopin - Nocturne Op.48 No.1 in C Minor

tags: ethics, metaethics, morality, the trolley problem, the baby problem, moral thought experiments, moral dilemma, internet analysis, video essay, analysis video, philosophy, tiktok, hannah kim, internet drama, twitter drama, the good place, the organ donor problem, oppenheimer, atomic bomb, world war ii, wwii, hiroshima nagasaki bomb dropping, president truman, chris nolan, oppenheimer bomb scene, chronically online, shanspeare, jordan theresa, vox, vice, cj the x, tiffany ferg, alice cappelle, contrapoints, philosophy tube, madisyn brown, chad chad, sisyphus 55, tara mooknee, babila

[oliSUNvia]

anyone else feel like they talk excruciatingly slow on camera? that's my way of asking you to watch this in 1.5x speed.

[LateefA]

I would absolutely love a 2 hour deep dive with pure theory even if the video only got 200k views, half of them would be from me.

[hibabelmezouar]

I had this crazy dream once about a zombie apocalypse. I was chilling at home alone, and suddenly, my family showed up, but I couldn't tell if they were zombies or not. So, I panicked and decided to lock all the doors. The weird thing is, I felt super down for the whole week after that dream, like this overwhelming guilt was eating at me. It wasn't until I had a similar dream with a different ending that things started to make sense. But honestly, I still don't know what I'd do in a real zombie apocalypse scenario.

[dylanpursley]

The improving imagination section of this video hit me like a bus. I had always thought I had good imagination. When you mentioned diversifying the media we consume, however, I saw that maybe it wasn't as good as I thought. I have always had a strange hero/ego complex that dealt with needing to be already talented at everything. When thinking of all of the books I have read, it turns out that the "chosen one" motif is almost always there. It never crossed my mine that perhaps this complex I have was a result of book preferences! Yet it really makes sense as those books usually shaped the way I saw myself and the world. Thank you so much Olivia. This was a fantastic video, and please always go into theory!

[vaporeonice]

When I saw the poll I kind of groaned…I often find discussions of moral dilemmas really tedious. But this video was such a BANGER, and a lot of the points discussed actually highlight why I tend to avoid talking about moral dilemmas. Amazing job!!

[ReasonableRadio]

I'd listen to a 2+h version of something like this. You're great at explaining theory and it's a good format to listen to while doing nom-mental tasks like walking and cleaning

[verWay]

Some moral dilemmas are unsolvable by simply choosing A or B. Some dilemmas are like unbeatable games: “the only winning move is not to play.” Ignorance and non-knowledge can often times be the factor that determine the best outcome, because they offer angles, that someone with knowledge and morals, whichever they may be, couldn't see or would be biased against.

[bimpadimp]

thinking that torture is effective and also the ONLY way to get information out of someone is so insane i can't believe there are people who unironically believe it

[mitcharendt]

I once read a holocaust survivor's memoir, Clara's War. She recounts that one of her cousins was suffocated accidentally as a baby while they hid form the SS. He was revived but what sticks with me is how impossible it is to judge some circumstances

[pariwhoop]

This is such a fresh take, probably not for those in academic study of philosophical concepts and ethics, but for someone who doesn’t really study it, it is. It really made me think about the question in general. Wonderful video. I am sure I would watch a 3 hour long version, so please make it a series. Nice brookies btw

[connorhealy]

I saw a TikTok the other day of a little Irish toddler who presented a moral dilemma to his mom like this:

“You’re driving a car, and in the middle of the road, you see an old man and a baby. What do you hit?”

After a few seconds of thought, the mom says “The old man.”

The toddler then gets all shocked and upset responding with “Why!?”

And the mom replies “He lived his life.”

To which the toddler responds, “I would hit the brakes.”

THAT is the energy I want to be bringing to moral dilemmas.


EDIT: I wrote this mainly as a joke. I know logically we can’t approach all problems like this, I just find it hilarious that a little kid presented with this problem will go

“How is the trolley problem real? Just didn’t kill people bro lol?”

[marcuskeum]

I’ve always had Chris’s kind of attitude when dealing with problematic friends. No one’s ever explained to me what you told your friend Chris and hearing it made a lot of sense. Great video as always!

[alejandrabarahona]

Am i the only one who thinks olivia should write a book? Like at this point i'd buy anything written by her lol her essays are soooo good

[kylehankins]

The use of simplified thought experiments is that you can progressively make them more realistic to pinpoint at precisely what point the persons moral decisions change. this can help reveal the underlying principles at play. Like for example if you hold the position that torture is always wrong then you wouldn't torture Tim but if instead your position hinges on the fact that you think its merely ineffective for the brutality required then you would only change after the scenario became more realistic.

[freepointsgals]

I'm not sure if she is capable of comprehending how down I am for 2hrs of pure theory. Taking Real Analysis was not only a contributor of a time of my life characterized by despair, but it's also my favorite class I've ever taken. I love theory so much that even when it conditions me to expect failure in everything I do, living without it is unthinkable in my mind. If she ever uploads a video like the one she described at the end of the video, I can guarantee that will watch it attentively in its entirety if I'm able to.

[LeoDaV]

Thank you for creating this type of content. I find it so valuable, every time you upload it’s an automatic click as already know it’s going to be excellent and that, I’ll learn something new

[leonardproductions]

Very good. I thought the part where you talked about the kindergartener failing due to not be able to obtain a crayon was crazy. Opened my eyes to knowing that we are not really capable of imaging a scenario truly. Great vid BTW :)

[brosckii]

Found this video on the explore page and looked interesting, I watched this entire video and loved the entire thing. One of the best knowledgeable videos i have watched in a long time. Will 100% be consuming the rest of content on this channel. V happy to be here

[shallowphoenix]

You could make a 2 hour video discussing the thought processes people have when putting away a shopping cart, and I’d be hooked the whole time and learn something new.

[pauliwhirl]

Truly fantastic video! As someone who feels theyve come to grips with a lot of fundamental philosophy, I really appreciate the spotlight you shine on some more specific theories and philosophers. Hope those brookies were as good as they looked! :)