Edison’s opinion on electrocution was unethical because he was only out to save his DC system. There was no stopping Edison on his path to save his company because now even human lives don’t mean anything to him. First it was animal testing and then he moved on to humans. Edison would have thought differently if he personally knew the subject but Kemmler was an axe murder and disliked by many. Edison did not know for sure that the AC current would be enough to kill a person. In the trial he use his reputation and people believed him. Edison was only out to discredit Westinghouses’ Company. The defense had proof that high voltages did not always kill people because he had survivors from lighting strikes.
November 19, 2008 at 2:43 pm |
You raise a lot of good points — especially that Edison knew nothing about the amount of electricity it takes to kill a human.
Do you think that, from a business perspective, Edison’s approach against the AC system was reasonable and acceptable?
November 19, 2008 at 2:43 pm |
I agree that you say that edison only believed in saving his company. I do not agree that human life meant very little to him, but that a convicts life meant very little to him.
November 19, 2008 at 2:43 pm |
Is it just his opinion that’s at issue or also his actions–testyifying as an expert witness at Kemmler’s trial when he may not have known as much as he claimed about the effects of electricity on human subjects?