For James Rachels, as Barcalow says on page 252 of MP, “letting someone die is often no better from a moral point of view than killing someone.” Rachels challenges the view that killing someone, that is, via active euthanasia is far worse than letting someone die, that is, via passive euthanasia. Rachels thinks that sometimes even letting someone die can be far more worse than just outright killing them. To demonstrate his argument, Rachels gives a thought-experiment addressing this issue.
Rachels gives an example of an uncle about to kill his niece for the sake of an inheritance. However, as the uncle is entering, the child slips and begins to drown and die. As Barcalow says on page 252 of MP, “According to Rachels, letting her drown is
Rachels gives an example of an uncle about to kill his niece for the sake of an inheritance. However, as the uncle is entering, the child slips and begins to drown and die. As Barcalow says on page 252 of MP, “According to Rachels, letting her drown is