Round 8: Tossup 3

Description acceptable. The immorality of recommending this act is demonstrated with an example involving a bathtub in James Rachels’ “Bare Difference Argument.” This is the second title act of a book that contrasts a case involving sending an envelope with one where a Mercedes owner encounters a trespassing birdwatcher. A philosopher who wrote that “negative duties” govern this act defined it in terms of uninitiated sequences. A Peter Singer-inspired book titled (*) Living High and [this act] is by Peter Unger. According to Philippa Foot, abortion is not an example of this act and is thus impermissible. (-5[2])Judith Jarvis Thomson considers unplugging the famous (10[1])violinist to be an example of this act. (-5[1])For 10 points, (-5[1])withholding medical care as part of passive euthanasia is an example of what act of omission often contrasted with killing? ■END■ (10[4])

ANSWER: letting die [accept word forms like let die; accept allowing harm or allowing death; accept descriptions of deliberately not saving a life or not saving a pregnant mother’s life; accept Living High and Letting Die; accept passive euthanasia or non-voluntary passive euthanasia before read; prompt on acts of omission or descriptions of inaction by asking “which have what outcome?”; prompt on descriptions of not aborting by asking “which has what consequence?”; reject “euthanasia” or “killing”]
<AM, Philosophy> | NAFTA-Packet-8
= Average correct buzzpoint

Back to tossups

Buzzes


Summary

TournamentEditionMatchHeardConv. %Power %Neg %Avg. Buzz
2026 NAFTA at Stanford01/17/20264100%50%0%69.25
2026 NAFTA at UBC01/17/20262100%0%0%77.00
2025 NAFTA Online02/14/2026475%0%50%120.33
2026 NAFTA at Vanderbilt02/14/2026367%0%67%113.50
2025 NAFTA at Toronto09/13/20255100%0%80%127.60
2025 NAFTA at Maryland09/27/20255100%0%80%120.80
2025 NAFTA at Harvard10/04/20253100%0%0%95.67
2025 NAFTA at Oxford10/11/2025475%0%75%115.00
2025 NAFTA at Chicago11/08/2025683%17%33%75.80
2025 NAFTA at Columbia11/08/20255100%20%20%99.80
2025 NAFTA at Richmond12/20/20252100%50%50%82.50