An Ethical Guidebook to the Zombie Apocalypse : How to Keep Your Brain Without Losing Your Heart

"When your base camp is overrun by zombies, whom do you save if you cannot save everyone? Is it permissible to sacrifice one survivor to an undead horde in order to save a greater number of the living? Do you have obligations to loved ones who have turned? These are some of the troubling ethical questions you might face in a zombie apocalypse. Bryan Hall uses situations like these to creatively introduce the foundational theories of moral philosophy. Covering major thinkers such as Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill, this is an introduction to Ethics like no other: a practical guidebook for surviving a zombie outbreak with your humanity intact. It shows you why moral reasoning matters as long as you still walk among the living. The book is written entirely from the perspective of someone struggling to survive in a world overrun by the undead. Each chapter begins with graphic art and a "field exercise" that uses a story from this world to illustrate an ethical problem. By considering moral controversies through the unfamiliar context of a zombie apocalypse, the morally irrelevant factors that get in the way of resolving these controversies are removed and you can better answer questions such as: Do we have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate than ourselves? Is it ever morally permissible to intentionally kill an innocent person? Are non-rational but sentient beings morally considerable? Equipped with further reading sections and overviews of the theories that you would usually cover in an introductory Ethics course, this one-of-a-kind primer critically evaluates different procedures for moral action that you can use not only to survive but flourish in an undead world."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover Contents List of Figures Read First: A Message from the Archivist to the Reader INTRODUCTION: WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD 1 COPING WITH CHAOS THROUGH RELATIVISM 1. Field exercise: The fall 2. Cultural relativism 3. Field exercise: Congregation of the Living Dead 4. Divine command theory 2 HOW TO FIND MORAL VALUE IN THE APOCALYPSE 1. Field exercise: The hunter 2. From subjectivism to egoism 3. Field exercise: Safe zone 4. Moral naturalism and intuitionism 3 CREATING AN ESCAPE FROM THE STATE OF ZOMBIES 1. Field exercise: Prisoner’s dilemma 2. The state of zombies is a state of war 3. Cooperation and community 4. Objections to contractarianism 4 UNDERSTANDING YOUR RIGHTS AND DUTIES DURING THE PANDEMIC 1. Field exercise: Infected liar 2. Kant’s ethical theory 3. Universal law formula 4. People and things 5. Humanity formula 6. Duties, rights, and moral worth 5 DO THE INFECTED HAVE A RIGHT TO SUICIDE FROM ALTRUISTIC MOTIVES? 1. Field exercise: The choice 2. Perfect duties, imperfect duties, and Kant’s view on suicide 3. Moral value and the distinction between doing and allowing harm 4. Suicide from altruistic motives 5. The problem of conflicting duties 6. W.D. Ross’s solution to conflicting duties 6 WHEN TO SACRIFICE SURVIVORS TO HUNGRY HORDES 1. Horde 2. Fleshy Friend 3. Spur 4. Loop 5. Second Horde 7 HOW TO MAXIMIZE PLEASURE IN A WORLD OF FLESH-CONSUMING ANGUISH 1. Field exercise: The horde 2. Three tenets of utilitarianism 3. Bentham’s act utilitarianism 4. Mill’s rule utilitarianism 8 ARE ALL ZOMBIES EQUAL? 1. Field exercise: Trapped 2. The human criterion 3. Kantian personhood and rights 4. Conscious life criterion 5. Utilitarianism and zombie euthanasia 9 THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF STRONGHOLDS TO THE UNPROTECTED LIVING 1. Field exercise: Drowning in the dead 2. The case against helping unfortunate survivors 3. Utilitarian Greater Moral Evil Principle 4. Kantian stronghold ethics 10 WHAT ARE YOUR OBLIGATIONS TO UNDEAD LOVED ONES? 1. Field exercise: The children 2. Personal identity 3. Are the undead morally responsible? 4. Care ethics 11 HOW TO CULTIVATE VIRTUE AMONG THE VICIOUS 1. Field exercise: Ambush 2. Aristotle’s virtue ethics 3. Hitting the mean 4. Objections to virtue ethics CONCLUSION: A GUIDE FOR FLOURISHING IN AN UNDEAD WORLD Glossary Acknowledgments Index When Your Base Camp Is Overrun By Zombies, Whom Do You Save If You Cannot Save Everyone? Is It Morally Permissible To Kill A Bitten Friend Before They Turn? These Are Some Of The Troubling Ethical Questions You Might Face In A Zombie Apocalypse. Bryan Hall Uses Situations Like These To Creatively Introduce The Foundational Theories Of Moral Philosophy. Covering Major Thinkers Such As Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, And John Stuart Mill, This Is An Introduction To Ethics Like No Other: A Practical Guidebook For Surviving A Zombie Outbreak With Your Humanity Intact. It Shows You Why Moral Reasoning Matters As Long As You Still Walk Among The Living. The Book Is Written Entirely From The Perspective Of Someone Struggling To Survive In A World Overrun By The Undead. Each Chapter Begins With Graphic Art And A “field Exercise” That Uses A Story From This World To Illustrate An Ethical Problem. By Considering Moral Controversies Through The Unfamiliar Context Of A Zombie Apocalypse, The Morally Irrelevant Factors That Get In The Way Of Resolving These Controversies Are Removed And You Can Better Answer Questions Such As: · Do We Have A Moral Obligation To Help Those Less Fortunate Than Ourselves? · Is It Ever Morally Permissible To Intentionally Kill An Innocent Person? · Are Non-rational But Sentient Beings Morally Considerable? Equipped With Further Reading Sections And Overviews Of The Theories That You Would Usually Cover In An Introductory Ethics Course, This One-of-a-kind Primer Critically Evaluates Different Procedures For Moral Action You Can Use Not Only To Survive, But Flourish In An Undead World Terrifyingly Similar To The World In Which You Live.