Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Philosophy

Major Professor

William Goodwin, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Alexander Levine, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Colin Heydt, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jonathan Beever, Ph.D.

Keywords

Ethics, Hypothetical Scenarios, Imagination, Nonargumentative

Abstract

Thought experiments (TEs) are imaginative tools used across various fields to explore theoretical and practical issues. This dissertation focuses on the application of TEs in ethics, specifically emphasizing the underdeveloped enlightenment function. The traditional use of TEs in ethics often aims to clarify, support, or refute specific claims through an argumentative structure. However, this work argues that TEs also play a key role in enhancing ethical competence by acknowledging the complexities of ethical dilemmas and fostering moral skills like critical thinking, moral reasoning, and ethical awareness through non-argumentative and non-theory-centric means.

The dissertation begins by explaining the nature and historical usage of TEs, distinguishing them from physical experiments, and highlighting their unique value in ethical inquiry. Building upon this foundation, the second chapter concentrates on the role of TEs specifically in ethical discourse. An extensive examination of the existing typologies by Walsh and Brun serves as a critical analysis, with particular attention directed towards the identified limitations, notably the absence of the enlightenment function. The significance of providing a detailed analysis of these two typologies is their exclusivity in dealing with TEs in ethics and their demonstration of the standard yet limited perspective on how these TEs are solely tied to arguments, which neglects the role of experience in developing our ethical competence through experimentation and growth.

The development of the enlightenment function draws from diverse interpretations of enlightenment, emphasizing its application in recognizing real-world ethical complexities and exercising mental faculties like sympathy, recollection, and mental simulation to cultivate ethical competence and the ethical imagination. Through examples like The Pear of Justice, inspired by personal and historical experiences, this dissertation illustrates how TEs with the enlightenment function contribute to ethical inquiry without relying solely on empirical validation.

The concluding chapter addresses the comparative efficacy of TEs with the enlightenment function versus case studies, highlighting their potential benefits such as accessibility. It concludes by emphasizing the significance of this function in addressing contemporary ethical challenges posed by emerging technologies such as AI and medicine. This dissertation advances the understanding of TEs in ethics, advocating for a more inclusive framework that recognizes their role in intellectual and moral development, which offers valuable insights for further research and application in ethical inquiry.

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