Is there a right answer to the trolley problem?

Is there a right answer to the trolley problem?

No. And there isn’t supposed to be one. The ‘Trolley problem’ was not designed to have a perfect solution. It is a thought experiment; it forces us to explore the limits of moral responsibility.

What is the problem in the Trolley Problem?

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 do Consequentialists typically say you should do in trolley problems?

In short, the right position for consequentialists to take with to trolley problems is to just say no to the lot of them. least letting it languish from neglect while they redirect their atten the far more important problem of risk.

What is the trolley car 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.

How do you solve a trolley problem?

The only way to save the lives of the five workers is to divert the trolley onto another track that only has one worker on it. If Adam diverts the trolley onto the other track, this one worker will die, but the other five workers will be saved.

What is the ethical answer to the trolley problem?

In response to the Problem, philosophers influenced by Kant have argued that one ought not to use human beings as a means to save others, so it would be morally right to steer the trolley away from the five, but morally wrong to push the fat man.

How do you solve a Trolley Problem?

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 would a utilitarian do in 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 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.

Is Stealing always immoral?

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 are the different types of trolley problem?

Related problems. Five variants of the trolley problem: the original Switch, the Fat Man, the Fat Villain, the Loop and the Man in the Yard. The trolley problem is a specific ethical thought experiment among several that highlights the difference between deontological and consequentialist ethical systems.

What happens when you pull the lever on the trolley?

There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks.

What are the two options for diverting the trolley?

You have two (and only two) options: Do nothing, in which case the trolley will kill the five people on the main track. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?

How many people were on the back of the trolley track?

“George is on a footbridge over the trolley tracks. He knows trolleys, and can see that the one approaching the bridge is out of control. On the track back of the bridge there are five people; the banks are so steep that they will not be able to get off the track in time.