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Would You Eat Your Cat? Key Ethical Conundrums and What They Tell You About Yourself
Are you authoritarian or libertarian? Are we morally obligated to end the world? And just what’s wrong with eating your cat?
Would You Eat Your Cat? challenges you to examine these and many other philosophical questions. This unique collection of classic and modern problems and paradoxes is guaranteed to test your preconceptions. Jeremy Stangroom creates contemporary versions of famous dilemmas that explore the morality of suicide and the ethics of retribution. He then delves into the background of each conundrum in detail and helps you discover what your responses reveal about yourself with a unique morality barometer. Are you ready to have your best ideas confronted and your ethical foundations shaken? If so, then Would You Eat Your Cat? is the book for you.
Would You Eat Your Cat? challenges you to examine these and many other philosophical questions. This unique collection of classic and modern problems and paradoxes is guaranteed to test your preconceptions. Jeremy Stangroom creates contemporary versions of famous dilemmas that explore the morality of suicide and the ethics of retribution. He then delves into the background of each conundrum in detail and helps you discover what your responses reveal about yourself with a unique morality barometer. Are you ready to have your best ideas confronted and your ethical foundations shaken? If so, then Would You Eat Your Cat? is the book for you.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
28 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Stangroom
76 books19 followersJeremy Stangroom is a British writer, editor, and website designer. He is an editor and co-founder, with Julian Baggini, of The Philosophers’ Magazine, and has written and edited several philosophy books. He is also co-founder, with Ophelia Benson of the website 'Butterflies and Wheels'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
February 14, 2013
I won this book from a GoodReads.com giveaway. I entered said giveaway because of the book title and cover photo. That little cat is so cute! But when I got the book and saw that it had to do with ethics, I started thinking I should stop picking my books based on the cuteness of the cover and actually read the description. However, everything turned out okay in the end.
Would You Eat Your Cat: Key Ethical Conundrums and What They Tell You About Yourself was a little book with a lot of punch. It asked insightful questions about morals and ethics, gave a kind of humorous scenario for readers to chew on, and then provided different ways to look at the situation along with real world scenarios. I discussed some of the ethical conundrums with others and it sparked a bit of discussion. Everyone liked the pictures.
Over all I thought Would You Eat Your Cat was an interesting little book and is a great tool to start a debate at a dinner party gone wrong and a great book to keep in your bathroom (this is not meant as a bad thing. It's just that the passages are short and it's one of those books you don't need to read straight through. You can put it down and then not come back to it for a few days).
One little thing that I didn't like was that right in the introduction, Strangroom explains how to use the book. He suggests reading an ethical question, located in the first half of the book, and then flipping to the back of the book to read the discussion. Then flip forward again to read the next question and flip back to the corresponding discussion. My question is why all the flipping back and forth? Why not just put the discussion right after the question, if that is how the book is supposed to be read, anyway?
Would You Eat Your Cat: Key Ethical Conundrums and What They Tell You About Yourself was a little book with a lot of punch. It asked insightful questions about morals and ethics, gave a kind of humorous scenario for readers to chew on, and then provided different ways to look at the situation along with real world scenarios. I discussed some of the ethical conundrums with others and it sparked a bit of discussion. Everyone liked the pictures.
Over all I thought Would You Eat Your Cat was an interesting little book and is a great tool to start a debate at a dinner party gone wrong and a great book to keep in your bathroom (this is not meant as a bad thing. It's just that the passages are short and it's one of those books you don't need to read straight through. You can put it down and then not come back to it for a few days).
One little thing that I didn't like was that right in the introduction, Strangroom explains how to use the book. He suggests reading an ethical question, located in the first half of the book, and then flipping to the back of the book to read the discussion. Then flip forward again to read the next question and flip back to the corresponding discussion. My question is why all the flipping back and forth? Why not just put the discussion right after the question, if that is how the book is supposed to be read, anyway?
February 15, 2016
A philosophically entertaining book featuring some very outrageously fictional scenarios which you may indeed find out to be relevant for important moral issues. The humour is well placed and quite British, yet the serious issues are carefully addressed and not at all trivialised (suicide, abortion, sexism, homophobia). Though nearly all "ethical conundrums" were not much of a stretch to my knowledge nor understanding of my own positions on ethics, it was delightful to read and even more to discuss. :)
October 25, 2017
I don't have a cat.
December 9, 2012
I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Perhaps my hopes were too high for this book. It certainly belongs nowhere near an Ethics classroom. The explanations of the philosophical schools of thought are at once too oversimplified and too extreme. The offered results to the proposed dilemmas are frustrating for all of the wrong reasons. The conundrums issued are mostly contrived to the point of being subjective, and the arguments are restrictive, deficient and leave the reader wanting to tear their hair out from all of the logical (and philosophical) oversights.
Would You Eat Your Cat won't appeal to scholars due to the insufficient interpretation of established ethical ideologies through the presented approaches, and it won't appeal to regular Joes and Janes because of the unsatisfactory and often admittedly inadequate binary conclusions to the philosophical challenges. The "unique morality barometer" that the back of the book exults amounts to hardly any more than a simple, predictable "if yes then you possibly believe ____, if no then you possibly believe ____."
The presentation of the book is dynamic and attention-grabbing, and a few of the dilemmas are actually objective and thought-provoking. Overall though, it seems a bit aimless and arbitrary upon execution and if you're looking for a crashcourse on ethical philosophy, there are better places to venture forth than to the contents of this book.
Perhaps my hopes were too high for this book. It certainly belongs nowhere near an Ethics classroom. The explanations of the philosophical schools of thought are at once too oversimplified and too extreme. The offered results to the proposed dilemmas are frustrating for all of the wrong reasons. The conundrums issued are mostly contrived to the point of being subjective, and the arguments are restrictive, deficient and leave the reader wanting to tear their hair out from all of the logical (and philosophical) oversights.
Would You Eat Your Cat won't appeal to scholars due to the insufficient interpretation of established ethical ideologies through the presented approaches, and it won't appeal to regular Joes and Janes because of the unsatisfactory and often admittedly inadequate binary conclusions to the philosophical challenges. The "unique morality barometer" that the back of the book exults amounts to hardly any more than a simple, predictable "if yes then you possibly believe ____, if no then you possibly believe ____."
The presentation of the book is dynamic and attention-grabbing, and a few of the dilemmas are actually objective and thought-provoking. Overall though, it seems a bit aimless and arbitrary upon execution and if you're looking for a crashcourse on ethical philosophy, there are better places to venture forth than to the contents of this book.
June 25, 2013
Brief vignettes explore ethical issues in entertaining thought-provoking ways. The vignettes (and questions they raise) form the first half of the book. The second half is devoted to examining the philosophical underpinnings of each conundrum. My only complaint would be with the format which forces the reader to flip back and forth a lot.
Outside of minor format issues, this would be a great book to use in teaching critical thinking skills. The entries are short and straightforward - but each invites thought and many apply to current, real-world concerns, making for a fascinating and thoughtful read for the novice philosopher.
Outside of minor format issues, this would be a great book to use in teaching critical thinking skills. The entries are short and straightforward - but each invites thought and many apply to current, real-world concerns, making for a fascinating and thoughtful read for the novice philosopher.
January 20, 2016
For me, the best thing about the book is the cover.
It lacks depth and it discusses ethical dilemma's with a very black-and-white view of the world, while especially in these areas some subtlety is required. And next to that, it skips over a lot of arguments as well.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, unless you want to have a book that looks cool in your bookcase.
It lacks depth and it discusses ethical dilemma's with a very black-and-white view of the world, while especially in these areas some subtlety is required. And next to that, it skips over a lot of arguments as well.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, unless you want to have a book that looks cool in your bookcase.
December 21, 2021
I loved this book. It is simple - a bit of an Ethics for Dummies - but I have no desire to undertake an academic analysis or university course on ethics. It's accessible and digestible and something I think society needs more than ever.
January 14, 2018
a wee read that really makes you think and understand too how the moral rock that you think you stand on is really sand and everchanging
July 25, 2023
No, I would not eat my cat
July 28, 2018
Buku ni tak beri kenyataan atau penyelesaian kepada pembacanya. Sebaliknya berdasarkan situasi2 yang dihampar berserta pilihan respon dan pandangan terhadapnya, ia sekadar pengakses diri atau penguji. Itu saja.
June 23, 2022
משעמם ובעיקר לא כתוב טוב
December 19, 2017
Wish I hadn’t. Could imagine it capturing others.
December 4, 2012
I received this book as part of Goodreads first reads giveaway.
I enjoyed philosophy thoroughly in college. By far was not my major but it plays very well into my career as a nurse. Would You Eat Your Cat? by Jeremy Stangroom brings a light and easy to digest introduction to philosophy and ethical decisions thankfully we are generally not faced with. From preventing the Holocaust to banning drunk sex this book both entertains and challenges your way of thinking. And to answer the question....no I would not eat my cat.
I enjoyed philosophy thoroughly in college. By far was not my major but it plays very well into my career as a nurse. Would You Eat Your Cat? by Jeremy Stangroom brings a light and easy to digest introduction to philosophy and ethical decisions thankfully we are generally not faced with. From preventing the Holocaust to banning drunk sex this book both entertains and challenges your way of thinking. And to answer the question....no I would not eat my cat.
July 16, 2012
Accessible and amusing little introduction to philosophy in regards to moral standards. Set up much like the quizzes in women's magazines, it has an amusing story illustrating a moral dilemma, then goes into the theories surrounding these dilemmas and give a quick rundown as to how these form part of our world views. Very easy and accessible read.
November 27, 2011
A simple outline of some key ethical dilemmas; the book could profit significantly from some more philosophical depth, yet it makes up for that with its clever wit.
May 27, 2022
ฉบับแปลไทยโดยเนชั่นบุ๊คส์ (ถ้าเทียบกับ Einstein's Riddle ไขสุดยอดปริศนา ปัญหาระดับโลก เล่มนี้ถือว่าแปลดีกว่า) ปัญหาในเล่มนี้เป็นปัญหาเกี่ยวข้องกับจริยศาสตร์ เช่น คุณคิดว่าการกินแมวของตัวเองหลังจากที่มันตายอย่างมีความสุข ผิดมั้ย ควรมีเซ็กส์ตอนเมามั้ย คนเรามีเจตจำนงเสรี (ผู้แปลใช้คำว่าเจตจำนงอิสระ) จริงหรือ ถ้าไม่มี เราสมควรรับผิดชอบต่อผลจากการกระทำรึเปล่า เราควรเลือกปฏิบัติเพื่อช่วยเหลือคนขี้เหร่หรือไม่ ฯลฯ
ปัญหาทั้งหมด 25 ข้อ แบ่งออกเป็น 4 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ 1. ทางตันทางจริยธรรม เป็นปัญหาทางจริยธรรมที่ต่างคนก็คิดแตกต่างกันไปตามแนวความคิดหรือทฤษฎีที่ตัวเองยึดถือ (แม้จะไม่รู้ว่าสิ่งที่ยึดถือนั้นเป็นทฤษฎีอะไร) 2. สิทธิและความรับผิดชอบ ขอบเขตที่เหมาะสมของเสรีภาพส่วนบุคคลอยู่ตรงไหน 3. อาชญากรรมและการลงฑัณฑ์ 4. สังคมและการเมือง ปัญหาทุกข้อ สนุกครับ เหมาะที่จะหยิบยกมาถกเถียง ไม่ว่าจะเถียงเอาจริงจังหรือเถียงเอาสนุก
แต่ก็มีรูปแบบและวิธีการเขียนที่ผมรู้สึกขัดใจบางประการ เช่น ผู้เขียนเหลือทางเลือกหรือคำตอบของปัญ���าไว้ให้ 2 ทาง ทั้ง ๆ ที่คำตอบไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็นแบบใดแบบหนึ่งในสองทางนั้น เช่น คุณจะเลือกฆ่า 1 คน หรือฆ่า 5 คน ในปัญหาคนขับรถไฟ จริงอย���่ที่สุดท้ายแล้วโจทย์บังคับให้ผลลัพธ์ของการกระทำลงเอยออกมา 2 แบบ และคุณต้องเป็นผู้กระทำ บางคนอาจเลือกแบบใดแบบหนึ่งด้วยเหตุผลใดเหตุผลหนึ่ง แต่จำเป็นด้วยเหรอที่เราต้องเป็นผู้เลือก (นี่ไม่ขัดแย้งกับความจำเป็นที่เราต้องเป็นผู้กระทำนะครับ) คนบังคับรถไฟอาจเลือกโยนเหรียญสุ่มทายหัวก้อย ปล่อยให้พระเจ้าหรือความสุ่มเป็นผู้เลือก อาจจะด้วยเหตุผลว่าผมไม่เห็นด้วยกับเหตุผลของทั้งสองฝ่าย ผมไม่ได้บอกว่าคำตอบแบบสุ่มนี้ถูกต้องหรือดีงามนะ แต่แค่บอกว่ามันมีคำตอบที่เป็นอื่น นอกเหนือจากตัวเลือกที่ผู้เขียนเปิดช่องทางเอาไว้ให้ อีกประการ การที่บังคับให้เราต้องตัดสินว่าถูกหรือผิดอย่างชัดเจนก่อให้เกิดข้อขัดแย้งภายในตัว เพราะบางเรื่องมันทั้งถูกและผิดในเวลาเดียวกันได้ เป็น fuzzy การใช้ตรรกะก็ต้องใช้ตรรกะที่เป็น fuzzy หรือในบางสถานการณ์ เช่น คำถามว่าเกลียดคนกับเกลียดผู้หญิง แบบไหนแย่กว่ากัน ตรงนี้ผู้เขียนยัดคำว่าแย่มาให้เสร็จสรรพแล้ว และให้เราเลือกว่า 'อันไหนแย่กว่าอันไหน' ทั้ง ๆ ที่เราควรตั้งคำถามก่อนว่ามันแย่จริงหรือ กับการที่ใครบางคนเกลียดผู้หญิง หรือเหยียดผิว คุณไม่มีสิทธิเกลียดคนอื่นหรือ ถ้าเราตัดคำว่าแย่ (ที่ผู้เขียนยัดมาให้) ออกไป เราอาจได้คำตอบที่แตกต่าง ถึงแม้มิติที่ผู้เขียนเสนอคำตอบนั้นค่อนข้างคับแคบ แต่ก็พูดได้ว่าเพียงพอสำหรับหนังสือเล่มเล็ก ๆ ที่จะจุดประกายเริ่มต้นชวนให้ขบคิดขยายความให้กว้างขวางต่อไป
ปัญหาทั้งหมด 25 ข้อ แบ่งออกเป็น 4 กลุ่ม ได้แก่ 1. ทางตันทางจริยธรรม เป็นปัญหาทางจริยธรรมที่ต่างคนก็คิดแตกต่างกันไปตามแนวความคิดหรือทฤษฎีที่ตัวเองยึดถือ (แม้จะไม่รู้ว่าสิ่งที่ยึดถือนั้นเป็นทฤษฎีอะไร) 2. สิทธิและความรับผิดชอบ ขอบเขตที่เหมาะสมของเสรีภาพส่วนบุคคลอยู่ตรงไหน 3. อาชญากรรมและการลงฑัณฑ์ 4. สังคมและการเมือง ปัญหาทุกข้อ สนุกครับ เหมาะที่จะหยิบยกมาถกเถียง ไม่ว่าจะเถียงเอาจริงจังหรือเถียงเอาสนุก
แต่ก็มีรูปแบบและวิธีการเขียนที่ผมรู้สึกขัดใจบางประการ เช่น ผู้เขียนเหลือทางเลือกหรือคำตอบของปัญ���าไว้ให้ 2 ทาง ทั้ง ๆ ที่คำตอบไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็นแบบใดแบบหนึ่งในสองทางนั้น เช่น คุณจะเลือกฆ่า 1 คน หรือฆ่า 5 คน ในปัญหาคนขับรถไฟ จริงอย���่ที่สุดท้ายแล้วโจทย์บังคับให้ผลลัพธ์ของการกระทำลงเอยออกมา 2 แบบ และคุณต้องเป็นผู้กระทำ บางคนอาจเลือกแบบใดแบบหนึ่งด้วยเหตุผลใดเหตุผลหนึ่ง แต่จำเป็นด้วยเหรอที่เราต้องเป็นผู้เลือก (นี่ไม่ขัดแย้งกับความจำเป็นที่เราต้องเป็นผู้กระทำนะครับ) คนบังคับรถไฟอาจเลือกโยนเหรียญสุ่มทายหัวก้อย ปล่อยให้พระเจ้าหรือความสุ่มเป็นผู้เลือก อาจจะด้วยเหตุผลว่าผมไม่เห็นด้วยกับเหตุผลของทั้งสองฝ่าย ผมไม่ได้บอกว่าคำตอบแบบสุ่มนี้ถูกต้องหรือดีงามนะ แต่แค่บอกว่ามันมีคำตอบที่เป็นอื่น นอกเหนือจากตัวเลือกที่ผู้เขียนเปิดช่องทางเอาไว้ให้ อีกประการ การที่บังคับให้เราต้องตัดสินว่าถูกหรือผิดอย่างชัดเจนก่อให้เกิดข้อขัดแย้งภายในตัว เพราะบางเรื่องมันทั้งถูกและผิดในเวลาเดียวกันได้ เป็น fuzzy การใช้ตรรกะก็ต้องใช้ตรรกะที่เป็น fuzzy หรือในบางสถานการณ์ เช่น คำถามว่าเกลียดคนกับเกลียดผู้หญิง แบบไหนแย่กว่ากัน ตรงนี้ผู้เขียนยัดคำว่าแย่มาให้เสร็จสรรพแล้ว และให้เราเลือกว่า 'อันไหนแย่กว่าอันไหน' ทั้ง ๆ ที่เราควรตั้งคำถามก่อนว่ามันแย่จริงหรือ กับการที่ใครบางคนเกลียดผู้หญิง หรือเหยียดผิว คุณไม่มีสิทธิเกลียดคนอื่นหรือ ถ้าเราตัดคำว่าแย่ (ที่ผู้เขียนยัดมาให้) ออกไป เราอาจได้คำตอบที่แตกต่าง ถึงแม้มิติที่ผู้เขียนเสนอคำตอบนั้นค่อนข้างคับแคบ แต่ก็พูดได้ว่าเพียงพอสำหรับหนังสือเล่มเล็ก ๆ ที่จะจุดประกายเริ่มต้นชวนให้ขบคิดขยายความให้กว้างขวางต่อไป
September 23, 2020
Are you ready to gain some unique perspective into your own ethics?
Then this book is a great tool to do that!
It challenges you to ponder on your current conceptions and what they mean about your own self. By how social "nurture" affected you, you can study the facets of your "nature" that it appealed to.
I think this will be highly enjoyable and educational to anyone that is open to sharpen their critical thinking and understand the foundations of their personal beliefs and morals.
Then this book is a great tool to do that!
It challenges you to ponder on your current conceptions and what they mean about your own self. By how social "nurture" affected you, you can study the facets of your "nature" that it appealed to.
I think this will be highly enjoyable and educational to anyone that is open to sharpen their critical thinking and understand the foundations of their personal beliefs and morals.
August 14, 2022
Read the Traditional Chinese translation but unfortunately this version was not available here so I guess I will have to type it here.
Interesting indeed with different examples to draw vivid images in readers' minds, and one could easily relate himself to the philosophical question Stangroom wishes to delve into. Easy to read, short, and if you are taking a flight or a short train journey, this could be a reader with you.
Interesting indeed with different examples to draw vivid images in readers' minds, and one could easily relate himself to the philosophical question Stangroom wishes to delve into. Easy to read, short, and if you are taking a flight or a short train journey, this could be a reader with you.
March 5, 2024
I picked this book up back in college a little ways back. Let a friend borrow it and never saw it again. I found it at the store and thought I’d give it a proper sending here. It’s fun and entertaining. It poses some relevant and some not so relevant dilemmas to the readers. Some of the thought experiments are nothing new, but they’ve been remodeled for the times. More than anything I found it started some interesting conversations.
August 13, 2018
I still pick this up from time to time. Such a great read when trying to help people think.
April 20, 2020
Fun little book.
March 30, 2021
The format of the book is terrible. They should really not force the reader to go back and forth all the time.
December 7, 2012
Won on Goodreads Giveaways
Life is filled with moral and ethical dilemmas. Often times, these result in decisions which can be considered to be a double standard. What do these situations and the ways you handle them truly indicate? Jermy Stangroom tries to answer this question in “Would You Eat Your Cat? Key Ethical Conundrums And What They Tell You About Yourself”.
“Would You Eat Your Cat?” is not a standard philosophical or psychology book. Rather than present a scientific thesis (one can’t really be scientific about such a topic); Stangroom offers a colorful, glossy-paged book filled with case studies/prompts which raise ethical questions. As the reader answers each (many times, one may agree with both sides of the debate but a gut feeling always prevails); explanations then discuss what decisions specify about moral character and judgment.
Although to some, this may sound like a quiz not worth taking; “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is much more complex and actually does cause the reader to evaluate how he/she makes decisions. Stangroom also clearly explains philosophical school of thought and the differences between reason, intent, and emotion. Personally, I understood the information much more clearly than when it was taught to me by my old college professors.
Some of the case scenarios may seem silly but don’t be deterred, as they provide self-assessment and conversation starters. However, flipping between the cases and “answers” in the back requires two bookmarks and is somewhat annoying.
Regrettably, Stangroom doesn’t dive deep into “answer” explanations or how they relate to the individual personalities. Although these proofs begin the thought process; deeper analyses would be more satisfying and composite. Too many of the “answers” are abrupt and trail off, so to speak. Furthermore, Stangroom doesn’t really say what the reader decisions truly signify. I never felt like I understood my moral convictions in a new or different light. Instead, Stangroom more so explains various paths of answering the thought experiments (in the manner of how a high school debate team would tackle the issues).
“Would You Eat Your Cat?” is not a typical front-to-back read and isn’t recommended for everyone. Some readers could become either frustrated or bored (or both) and is a more pleasurable read for those wanting to exercise their minds. It could also be a great supplement or assignment book for ethic and philosophy college courses.
Stangroom’s “Would You Eat Your Cat?” did not leave me with a deeper understanding of my morals or ethical decisions unless you count that I discovered I am inconsistent with my choices with similarly-related issues which brought my error-thinking into light. However, again, this didn’t truly explain who I am except that I am complex. Even so, “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is enjoyable and successfully provokes discussions and self-thinking and is a great read in terms of providing the means for that end. “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is thoroughly suggested for a simple book which breaks down your ethical thinking process.
Life is filled with moral and ethical dilemmas. Often times, these result in decisions which can be considered to be a double standard. What do these situations and the ways you handle them truly indicate? Jermy Stangroom tries to answer this question in “Would You Eat Your Cat? Key Ethical Conundrums And What They Tell You About Yourself”.
“Would You Eat Your Cat?” is not a standard philosophical or psychology book. Rather than present a scientific thesis (one can’t really be scientific about such a topic); Stangroom offers a colorful, glossy-paged book filled with case studies/prompts which raise ethical questions. As the reader answers each (many times, one may agree with both sides of the debate but a gut feeling always prevails); explanations then discuss what decisions specify about moral character and judgment.
Although to some, this may sound like a quiz not worth taking; “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is much more complex and actually does cause the reader to evaluate how he/she makes decisions. Stangroom also clearly explains philosophical school of thought and the differences between reason, intent, and emotion. Personally, I understood the information much more clearly than when it was taught to me by my old college professors.
Some of the case scenarios may seem silly but don’t be deterred, as they provide self-assessment and conversation starters. However, flipping between the cases and “answers” in the back requires two bookmarks and is somewhat annoying.
Regrettably, Stangroom doesn’t dive deep into “answer” explanations or how they relate to the individual personalities. Although these proofs begin the thought process; deeper analyses would be more satisfying and composite. Too many of the “answers” are abrupt and trail off, so to speak. Furthermore, Stangroom doesn’t really say what the reader decisions truly signify. I never felt like I understood my moral convictions in a new or different light. Instead, Stangroom more so explains various paths of answering the thought experiments (in the manner of how a high school debate team would tackle the issues).
“Would You Eat Your Cat?” is not a typical front-to-back read and isn’t recommended for everyone. Some readers could become either frustrated or bored (or both) and is a more pleasurable read for those wanting to exercise their minds. It could also be a great supplement or assignment book for ethic and philosophy college courses.
Stangroom’s “Would You Eat Your Cat?” did not leave me with a deeper understanding of my morals or ethical decisions unless you count that I discovered I am inconsistent with my choices with similarly-related issues which brought my error-thinking into light. However, again, this didn’t truly explain who I am except that I am complex. Even so, “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is enjoyable and successfully provokes discussions and self-thinking and is a great read in terms of providing the means for that end. “Would You Eat Your Cat?” is thoroughly suggested for a simple book which breaks down your ethical thinking process.
June 16, 2013
What a title right?
I am giving this book two stars but here is my disclaimer: I did not find this a particularly thoughtful or meaningful book, but I am sure some people would thoroughly enjoy it.
I thought, initially, this book was going to teater the line between deeply thoughtful and poppy fluff. It ended up morphing into a 200 page magazine personality test, complete with answers in the back of the book.
Some of the questions in the book include: Was it right to eat the cat? Is torture under certain circumstances acceptable? Should we sacrifice one to save five? These questions are pretty standard examples of the common philosophical dilemas society has been grappling with for years.
If you haven't thought about your morals and the philosophies you have behind them, maybe you will learn something from this book. If you haven't been challenged with a "What would you do in the event that (insert crazy hypothetical situation here)?" questions, you also might enjoy thinking through some of the questions in this book. I have however spent time reading about philosophy and pondering these questions for a while and this lacked insightful discourse about each questions.
Each option (and I also disagree entirely in only presenting two stark options to complex philosophical questions as well, which in real life would likely have more than 10) did come with an explanation of what it tells you about yourself (again in the style of a magazine personality test).
That all being said it was fun and entirely too long. This might be a fun book for facilitating teens to think about morality or a party book where you could ask entirely ridiculous questions to your dinner guests, but I would suggest the facilitation of a meaningful discussion afterwards, because you will not get much else from the book.
I am giving this book two stars but here is my disclaimer: I did not find this a particularly thoughtful or meaningful book, but I am sure some people would thoroughly enjoy it.
I thought, initially, this book was going to teater the line between deeply thoughtful and poppy fluff. It ended up morphing into a 200 page magazine personality test, complete with answers in the back of the book.
Some of the questions in the book include: Was it right to eat the cat? Is torture under certain circumstances acceptable? Should we sacrifice one to save five? These questions are pretty standard examples of the common philosophical dilemas society has been grappling with for years.
If you haven't thought about your morals and the philosophies you have behind them, maybe you will learn something from this book. If you haven't been challenged with a "What would you do in the event that (insert crazy hypothetical situation here)?" questions, you also might enjoy thinking through some of the questions in this book. I have however spent time reading about philosophy and pondering these questions for a while and this lacked insightful discourse about each questions.
Each option (and I also disagree entirely in only presenting two stark options to complex philosophical questions as well, which in real life would likely have more than 10) did come with an explanation of what it tells you about yourself (again in the style of a magazine personality test).
That all being said it was fun and entirely too long. This might be a fun book for facilitating teens to think about morality or a party book where you could ask entirely ridiculous questions to your dinner guests, but I would suggest the facilitation of a meaningful discussion afterwards, because you will not get much else from the book.
December 20, 2012
So this was a pretty compelling read, I think it showed arguments for some great moral dilemmas. However what keeps this from being 5 stars is that the book lacks in the moral aptitude testing. There's no analysis based on your opinions of the arguments. Only analysis of the arguments themselves. I would have liked to see more in the way of what your answers say about you as a moral individual. The given "moral compass" is just a terse recap of the arguments given not in anyway a detailed analysis of the person who would choose one way or the other.
Overall, a very fun quick read, but not really that great for in depth analytical thought about morals.
Overall, a very fun quick read, but not really that great for in depth analytical thought about morals.
February 18, 2013
I won this book in a goodreads first reads giveaway. I am not a big fan of philosophy and that seems to be the point of this book. Therefore, I was not a huge fan of this book. I do not like having to go from the front of the book to read the scenario to the back to read what is says about me morally. Also the quick decisions do not have any responses. I think this book should have combined the two sections and been a little more to the point. It was a quick read though!
December 19, 2012
I received this book from a First Reads giveaway. My husband and I were excited to delve into these moral dilemmas, but for the most part we weren't too enthused by what was in the book. Many of these dilemmas weren't as interesting or challenging as we were expecting. Although, despite that, it was still an entertaining, and somewhat thorough, book.
August 27, 2014
What a stupid book! The title caught my eye and I thought the premise would make it interesting. Boy, was I wrong. Not one of these so called ethical conundrums was even slightly plausible. I mean really, should androids be tried for murder? Fortunately, it was so small I had it read in under an hour.All in all a compete waste of paper and ink.
December 26, 2011
Simplistic, and generally manages to dance around each issue. The moral barometer sections pigeonhole people based on very cursory assumptions. Interesting concept for a book, but more gloss than substance. It makes a better conversation piece than a philosophical read.
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