The trolley problem is a thought experiment in ethics about
a fictional scenario in which an onlooker has the choice to save 5 people in danger of being hit by a trolley, by diverting the trolley to kill just 1 person
.
What is the correct answer to the trolley problem?
Foot's own response to the Trolley Problem was that
the morally justified action would be to steer the trolley to kill the one workman, thus saving a net four lives
. In order to demonstrate the morality of this, she made a distinction between what she called ‘negative duties' and ‘positive duties'.
What is the trolley cart dilemma?
The “Trolley Dilemma' is
an ethical thought experiment where there is a runaway trolley moving down railway tracks
. … If they pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks—but will kill one person who is standing on the side track.
What is utilitarianism and how does it apply to the trolley problem?
The trolley thought experiment has a fundamental purpose. … The trolley problem highlights a fundamental tension between two schools of moral thought. The utilitarian perspective
dictates that the most appropriate action is the one that achieves the greatest good for the greatest number
.
Should you push the fat man?
Unless the train is stopped, it will inevitably kill all five men. … However, a fat man, a stranger, is standing next to you: if you push
him off the bridge, he will topple onto the line
and, although he will die, his chunky body will stop the train, saving five lives.
Is it OK to sacrifice a few to save many?
In practice, the life of that one patient is worth more than the lives of the other five. This is a matter of what ethical school you belong to.
If you are a Utilitarian, then sacrificing
the few for the need of the many is a reasonable thing to do.
What can the Trolley Problem teach us about human morality?
The trolley problem is
a question of human morality
, and an example of a philosophical view called consequentialism. This view says that morality is defined by the consequences of an action, and that the consequences are all that matter. … It's a question of human morality.
Why did Philippa Foot created the Trolley Problem?
Philippa Foot had said that we
had the intuition to turn
the trolley in the first trolley case because it was injury/injury, and therefore we should minimize the injury to as few people as possible. … Imagine there is a fat man on a bridge and the only way to stop the trolley is to throw the fat man off the bridge.
What is the moral difference between the the Trolley Problem and the Fat man problem?
In numerical terms, the two situations are identical. A strict utilitarian, concerned only with the greatest happiness of the greatest number, would see
no difference
: In each case, one person dies to save five. Yet people seem to feel differently about the “Fat Man” case.
What is utilitarianism theory?
Utilitarianism is
a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm
. … Utilitarianism would say that an action is right if it results in the happiness of the greatest number of people in a society or a group.
What is utilitarianism example?
When individuals are deciding what to do for themselves alone, they consider only their own utility. For example, if you are choosing
ice cream for yourself
, the utilitarian view is that you should choose the flavor that will give you the most pleasure.
Why did Thomson change her mind about the Trolley Problem?
Thomson's conclusion is that turning the trolley to kill just one person is: …
making that person the sacrifice for your good deed
, and is therefore morally unacceptable. In this paper, Thomson changes the point of view in the trolley case so that we imagine ourselves as a bystander instead of as the trolley driver.
How do you think like a utilitarian?
The principle of utilitarianism invites us to
consider the immediate and the less immediate consequences of our actions
. Given its insistence on summing the benefits and harms of all people, utilitarianism asks us to look beyond self-interest to consider impartially the interests of all persons affected by our actions.
How does Kant respond to trolley problem?
Trolley Problem Under Kantianism
The simple answer is that
Kantianism does not allow for the pushing of the lever; you shouldn't kill one to save five
. This is because the decision to kill another rational being is always immoral in the eyes of Kantian ethicist.
How are the basic trolley case and the Fatman case morally similar?
It is morally permissible to turn the trolley
. … It is morally required to NOT turn the trolley. In the fat man case, you can't turn the trolley, but you can stop it.
What does Kant mean by treating someone as an end?
The word “end” in this phrase has the same meaning as in the phrase “means to an end”. The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that
rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves
and not as a means to something else. The fact that we are human has value in itself.
Why does Kant object to allowing yourself to be used as a means?
The principle Kant deems to be
the supreme principle of morality
, the categorical imperative, deems morally wrong all actions that treat persons merely as means. … For example, to say that a person is exploiting or manipulating another is often to imply that the person is using the other in a morally problematic way.
Which principles are in conflict in the Trolley Problem?
Foot argues that Trolley Driver involves a conflict between two negative duties:
the duty not to kill one and the duty not to kill five
. The duty not to kill five is stronger than the duty not to kill one, so it is morally permissible to kill one to save five others.
Will you flip the switch and sacrifice the life of one person to save the lives of five persons?
In one survey,
about 90% of respondents said that it's okay to flip the switch
, letting one worker die to save five, and other studies, including a virtual reality simulation of the dilemma, have found similar results. … The five lives outweigh one, even if achieving that outcome requires condemning someone to death.
What is the Trolley Problem quizlet?
The moral dilemma of the Trolley Driver case is … whether it is better to let five die than
to
act and bring about one person's death. … If you act, one person will die, but if you do not, five will die.
What does utilitarianism conclude about the Trolley Problem?
In the Trolley Problem, a train is hurtling down the tracks towards five men stuck in its path. … The utilitarian answer is that
the moral decision is to sacrifice the heavyweight man, because you'd still be killing one to save five
.
What is Philippa Foot's objection to hedonism?
Hedonism is a theory of morality. … One such opponent to the theory is Philippa Foot a contemporary philosopher. She presents the
argument that sustained happiness is not the end all to a good life
.
What does Philippa Foot believe?
Philippa Foot was an Oxford-trained philosopher who argued for a
neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics
as opposed to deontology, utilitarianism, or consequentialism in ethics. Foot created the famous moral thought experiment known as the trolley problem.
What virtue did Philippa Foot consider to be most important?
Foot believes that
wisdom
is both an intellectual and a moral virtue; it is both a state of mind and a determination of character. It deals with both knowing something and willing something.
Why ethics is also called moral philosophy?
Ethics
is concerned with what is good for individuals and society
and is also described as moral philosophy. The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition.
What is an example of moral dilemma?
A moral dilemma is a conflict of morals, where you are forced to choose between two or more options and you have a moral reason to choose and not choose each option. … An example of a moral dilemma is
having to choose between saving a dog from a fire or saving your sister
.
How would a utilitarian view abortion?
A common utilitarian argument goes this way:
Anything having a balance of good results (considering everyone) is morally permissible
. Abortion often has a balance of good results (considering every- one). Abortion often is morally permissible.
What is utilitarianism in law?
In Jurisprudence,
a philosophy whose adherents believe that law must be made to conform to its most socially useful purpose
. Although utilitarians differ as to the meaning of the word useful, most agree that a law's utility may be defined as its ability to increase happiness, wealth, or justice.
Is the Trolley Problem utilitarianism?
The trolley problem highlights a
fundamental tension between two schools of moral thought
. … Psychological research shows that in the first version of the problem, most people agree with utilitarians, deeming it morally acceptable to flip the switch, killing one to save five.
What question does the trolley problem raise?
To the wider world, and perhaps especially to undergraduate philosophy students, she is best known for inventing the Trolley Problem, which raises the
question of why it seems permissible to steer a trolley aimed at five people toward one person while it seems impermissible to do something such as killing one healthy
…
Is communism utilitarian?
As nouns the difference between communism and utilitarianism
is that
communism
is any political philosophy or ideology advocating holding the production of resources collectively while utilitarianism is (philosophy) a system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness.
What is the strongest objection to utilitarianism?
The strongest objection to Utilitarianism is
that it ignores the rights of the individual
. When making moral decisions, the majority? s happiness often deprives individuals of their rights.
What is the greatest happiness for the greatest number?
The greatest happiness principle is a moral tenet, which holds that the best thing to do is what contributes to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people.
What are the 4 ethical theories?
Four broad categories of ethical theory include
deontology, utilitarianism, rights, and virtues
.
Who invented utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham
was a philosopher, economist, jurist, and legal reformer and the founder of modern utilitarianism, an ethical theory holding that actions are morally right if they tend to promote happiness or pleasure (and morally wrong if they tend to promote unhappiness or pain) among all those affected by them.
Why is it morally wrong to steal?
It is a dilemma
because there is a conflict between the choices
. Usually one action, though morally right, violates another ethical standard. A classic example is stealing to feed your family. Stealing is legally and ethically wrong, but if your family is starving it might be morally justified.
What is Judith Thomson known for?
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. Judith Jarvis Thomson (October 4, 1929 – November 20, 2020) was an
American philosopher
who studied and worked on ethics and metaphysics. She is credited with naming, developing, and initiating the extensive literature on the trolley problem first posed by Philippa Foot.
