Last Updated：2025/12/05
(philosophy) An argument in favour of a right to abortion that appeals to a thought experiment in which a person with a rare blood type is kidnapped and plugged into a famous unconscious violinist with a fatal kidney ailment; if the violinist is unplugged, he will die, but if he stays plugged into the kidnappee for nine months, he will recover from his ailment. The argument assumes that in this hypothetical scenario, the kidnappee has the right to unplug themselves from the violinist at any time even if this will cause his death, because the violinist does not have a right to the kidnappee’s body.
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violinist argument
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Source Word
violinist argument
Proper noun
(philosophy)
An
argument
in
favour
of
a
right
to
abortion
that
appeals
to
a
thought
experiment
in
which
a
person
with
a
rare
blood
type
is
kidnapped
and
plugged
into
a
famous
unconscious
violinist
with
a
fatal
kidney
ailment;
if
the
violinist
is
unplugged,
he
will
die,
but
if
he
stays
plugged
into
the
kidnappee
for
nine
months,
he
will
recover
from
his
ailment.
The
argument
assumes
that
in
this
hypothetical
scenario,
the
kidnappee
has
the
right
to
unplug
themselves
from
the
violinist
at
any
time
even
if
this
will
cause
his
death,
because
the
violinist
does
not
have
a
right
to
the
kidnappee’s
body.
Japanese Meaning
（哲学）中絶の権利を支持するための議論の一例。稀な血液型を持つ人物が、人質として有名な意識不明のヴァイオリニストに繋がれてしまい、接続を解除すればヴァイオリニストが死に、接続を続ければ中絶に類する体験を強制されるという思考実験に基づく議論で、被験者には自らの体からヴァイオリニストを切り離す権利が認められるとする主張です。
Sense（1）
(philosophy)
An
argument
in
favour
of
a
right
to
abortion
that
appeals
to
a
thought
experiment
in
which
a
person
with
a
rare
blood
type
is
kidnapped
and
plugged
into
a
famous
unconscious
violinist
with
a
fatal
kidney
ailment;
if
the
violinist
is
unplugged,
he
will
die,
but
if
he
stays
plugged
into
the
kidnappee
for
nine
months,
he
will
recover
from
his
ailment.
The
argument
assumes
that
in
this
hypothetical
scenario,
the
kidnappee
has
the
right
to
unplug
themselves
from
the
violinist
at
any
time
even
if
this
will
cause
his
death,
because
the
violinist
does
not
have
a
right
to
the
kidnappee’s
body.
（ canonical ）
