Introduction

A silent film comedian named Charlie decided he wanted to kill a rival for the affections of the girl he was sweet on. He dropped a banana skin just in front of an open manhole cover as the rival passed by, but at the last minute the rival veered away and escaped harm. A cross town colleague named Buster also wanted to bump off a rival and likewise selected a banana skin as his instrument. In this case the plan worked and the rival slipped to a sugary doom. How should we judge our three comedians from an ethical point of view? Should we evaluate their actions on the basis of their intentions or the consequences their actions produced?