The Trolley Problem

Central Theme

The article explores the “Trolley Problem,” a classic moral thought experiment designed to challenge our ethical intuitions. It forces a decision between two negative outcomes to reveal the principles behind our moral reasoning.

Key Points & Arguments

The core scenario involves a runaway trolley that will kill five people unless you pull a lever to divert it to a side track, where it will kill one person. The article examines variations that test our moral consistency:

• Role Variation (The Bystander): Does the moral obligation change if you are an uninvolved bystander versus the trolley’s driver?
• Action Variation (The Heavy Man): Is pulling a lever equivalent to pushing a heavy man off a bridge to stop the trolley? This probes the ethics of using a person as a means to an end.
• Identity Variation (The Mafia Problem): Does the decision change if the five are hardened criminals and the one is an innocent person?

Conclusions & Takeaways

The author highlights several philosophical frameworks for analyzing these dilemmas, such as the difference between active vs. passive harm, rights vs. utility (the greater good), and the Doctrine of Double Effect (intended vs. foreseen consequences). The main takeaway is that while these scenarios are fictional, they parallel real-world ethical decisions in military strategy, public policy, and crisis management, forcing us to consider the logic behind our choices when there is no perfect answer.

Mentoring Question

When you’ve faced a difficult professional decision with no clear “right” answer, did your reasoning lean more towards achieving the best overall outcome (utility), or towards avoiding direct harm to any single party, even if it meant a less optimal result?

Source: https://sketchplanations.substack.com/p/the-trolley-problem