Next Stop: ‘Trolley Problem’ We have a hard decision to make. 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 .
Why is the Trolley Problem important?
Trolley problems highlight the difference between deontological and consequentialist ethical systems . The central question that these dilemmas bring to light is on whether or not it is right to actively inhibit the utility of an individual if doing so produces a greater utility for other individuals.
Is there a correct answer to the trolley problem?
No Solution , No Problem
Like most philosophical problems, the Trolley Problem is not designed to have a solution.
What does the Trolley Problem says about you?
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 .
How does the Trolley Problem relate to psychology?
Daniel Bartels of Columbia University found that individual reactions to trolley problems is context sensitive and that around 90% would refuse the act of deliberately killing one individual to save five lives .
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 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 would a Deontologist do in the Trolley Problem?
A deontologist would further argue that killing is never acceptable — it would be immoral to pull the lever to kill on (in the above case pulling the lever would be considered actively killing the person) , even if that meant allowing the trolley to continue on its course to kill 100 people.
What would a utilitarian do in the Trolley Problem?
Utilitarian philosophers have traditionally given little importance to intuitions. ... In all the trolley scenarios, utilitarians would favor whatever option in which the greater numbers of lives are saved . The moral value of an action is not in its intrinsic nature, but rather in its consequences.
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.
Who started the trolley problem?
This is the crux of the classic thought experiment known as the trolley dilemma, developed by philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967 and adapted by Judith Jarvis Thomson in 1985.
Is the trolley experiment ethical?
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.
What is Thomson’s solution to the trolley problem?
In “The Trolley Problem,” Thomson offered a solution—call this her First Solu- tion—according to which the bystander may flip the switch in Bystander be- cause were he to do so (1) he makes what was threatening five come to threaten only one and (2) he does so not by any means that constitute an infringement of any ...
Would you push the fat man off the bridge?
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.
What would John Stuart Mill do in the Trolley Problem?
John Stuart Mill developed Rule Utilitarianism, a theory based on Act Utilitarianism. ... In both versions of the trolley problem Act Utilitarianism would accept the pulling of the lever and the pushing of the person as the morally acceptable choice .
