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In a characteristically ingenious thought experiment, she imagines that you have been kidnapped by the Society of Music Lovers, who have plugged a violinist with failing kidneys into your circulatory system it is the only way of saving the violinist’s life.
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The philosophical debate about abortion had focused on the question of whether a fetus is a person Thomson argued that even if it is granted that a fetus is a person, abortion is still morally permissible under some circumstances. She published six highly regarded books, including The Realm of Rights (1990), and Goodness and Advice (2001), but what shot her to prominence early on was her 1971 article on abortion, which has been anthologized numerous times and remains a staple of any course in applied ethics. Most of Thomson’s work was in moral philosophy and metaphysics, and often drew connections between these two areas, but she also made contributions to the philosophy of action, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of language. Thomson’s colleague Sally Haslanger, Ford Professor of Philosophy at MIT, noted that “she entered the field when only a tiny number of women even considered pursuing a career in philosophy and proved beyond doubt that a woman could meet the highest standards of philosophical excellence… She is the atomic ice-breaker for women in philosophy.” Few of us ever meet Judy’s standards,” he continued, “but, insofar as we do, it is often thanks to the mere thought of what Judy would say.” In 2012 Thomson was awarded the American Philosophical Association’s prestigious Quinn Prize for her “service to philosophy and philosophers.” The then-chair of the MIT Philosophy Section, Richard Holton, said that “she has had an enormous influence on fellow faculty and on generations of graduate students who now populate the philosophy departments of the English-speaking world. She remained active in philosophy at MIT, writing articles and advising graduate students, until her death. Thomson transformed the philosophical discussion of abortion with her 1971 article “A defense of abortion” and devised the standard form of the “trolley problem.” Thomson was a faculty member at MIT for 40 years, retiring in 2004. Professor Emerita Judith Jarvis Thomson, a philosopher of morality and metaphysics, died on November 20 at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Remembrance by Professor Alex Byrne, Head, Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, and Head of the MIT Philosophy section with contributions from Liz Harman, Sally Haslanger, Richard Holton, Carole Hooven, Pam Jarvis, Peter Jarvis, and Rae Langton.