A thought experiment by James Rachels Uses a consistency argument (If you believe this, then you must have a consistent belief of that)
Thought Experiment
- Smith has a cousin, if they die then he inherits a bunch of money
- One day, smith babysits his cousin, says he needs a lot of money, cousin is taking a bath, smith drowns his cousin
- Jones also has the same situation, but this time his cousin slips and dies by himself, Jones stands back and watches his cousin die
- Rachel says that these cases are equally as bad
Implications
- Rachel believes Motive > Action