English philosopher Philippa Foot is credited with introducing this version of the trolley problem in 1967, though another philosopher, Judith Thomson
What is the correct answer to the trolley problem?
So, what is one to do? 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 .
What is the Trolley Problem utilitarianism?
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 .
Why did Philippa Foot created the Trolley Problem?
Philippa Foot introduced this genre of decision problems in 1967 as part of an analysis of debates on abortion and the doctrine of double effect . ... Earlier forms of individual trolley scenarios antedated Foot's publication.
Who created the trolley car?
Early streetcars were either horse-drawn or depended for power on storage batteries that were expensive and inefficient. In 1834 Thomas Davenport , a blacksmith from Brandon, Vermont, U.S., built a small battery-powered electric motor and used it to operate a small car on a short section of track.
What is the trolley problem an example of?
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.
Is the trolley problem useful?
The morality of actions cannot just be decided by public votes. Yet, despite all its shortcomings, the Trolley Problem remains an exciting and useful approach . It is extremely unlikely someone will ever encounter a situation where a fat man could be thrown from a bridge in order to save five people.
What is a good example of utilitarianism?
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.
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 ...
What did Philippa Foot say about 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. Judith Jarvis Thomson, in her paper “The Trolley Problem”, adds the example of the fat man (among many other variations).
What does foot mean by practical rationality?
To meet the challenge, Foot embarks on a discussion of practical rationality, or the nature and provenance of human reasoning . Foot argues that an objective theory of morality can establish an intelligible connection between objective moral evaluations and what we have reason to do as individuals.
What is the difference between a streetcar and a trolley?
Unlike the mechanical cable cars streetcars are propelled by onboard electric motors and require a trolley pole to draw power from an overhead wire. Trolleys looks like regular buses but they are completely electric and have twin poles on the roof of the bus that draw power from double overhead wires.
What does a question like the trolley problem teach us?
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.
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 .
What type of dilemma is the Trolley Problem?
The “Trolley Dilemma' is an ethical thought experiment where there is a runaway trolley moving down railway tracks . In its path, there are five people tied up and unable to move and the trolley is heading straight for them. People are told that they are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever.
Where does the trolley problem come from?
The “trolley problem” is generally believed to have been invented by an English philosopher by the name of Philippa Foot . She was born in 1920 and taught for many years at Oxford. The trolley problem was further developed and made popular by another woman philosopher, Judith Jarvis Thomson, who teaches at M. I. T.
