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 does the Trolley Problem teach us Reddit?

“The trolley dilemma allows us to think through the consequences of an action and consider whether its moral value is determined solely by its outcome.”

What is the Catholic answer to the Trolley Problem?

Therefore, the Catholic answer is that the ends do not justify the means and you cannot kill one innocent person to save the lives of other innocent persons. The intentional killing of an innocent human being is murder.

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.

Can the trolley problem be solved?

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.

Is Judith Jarvis alive?

Deceased (1929–2020)
Judith Jarvis Thomson/Living or Deceased

What is the Trolley Problem philosophy?

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. That person is certain to be killed if the switch is activated.

What is the fat man dilemma?

You are walking near a trolley-car track when you notice five people tied to it in a row. If you heave him over the side, he will fall on the track and his bulk will stop the trolley. He will die in the process.

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 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 can you learn from the Trolley Problem?

The so-called Trolley Problem sheds light on many claims in moral philosophy: utilitarian positions (doing what’s best for the greatest number), the difference between doing and letting happen (being more obliged to not cause harm than to prevent harm), and issues of “collateral damage” (killing one person to save …

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.

What is the Catholic answer to the trolley problem?

Therefore, the Catholic answer is that the ends do not justify the means and you cannot kill one innocent person to save the lives of other innocent persons. The intentional killing of an innocent human being is murder.

What kind of moral dilemma is imposed in trolley problem?

The trolley problem is a series of thought experiments in ethics and psychology, involving stylized ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number.

What does the trolley dilemma try to demonstrate?

The trolley dilemma and its variations demonstrate that most people approve of some actions that cause harm, yet other actions with the same outcome are not considered permissible.

Is the Trolley Problem an ethical dilemma?

The trolley problem is a series of thought experiments in ethics and psychology, involving stylized ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number. There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks.

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 an ethical dilemma example?

Some examples of ethical dilemma examples include: Taking credit for others’ work. Offering a client a worse product for your own profit. Utilizing inside knowledge for your own profit.

Which philosopher proposes variations in the trolly dilemma that could impact our decision on whether or not to actively switch tracks?

A few years later, Judith Thomson, a philosopher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, coined the term “trolley problem” and created what would become its two most famous variants, the “footbridge” and the “switch.” In the “footbridge” scenario (also known as “fat man”), the streetcar is heading towards five …

What is the moral difference between the trolley problem and the Fat Man problem?

What is the trolley problem in ethics?

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 point of the trolley problem thought experiment?

But that would be to miss the point of the thought experiment. The Trolley Problem sets up a moral dilemma in which one is to decide whether to steer the trolley in the first scenario, and whether to push the fat man off the footbridge in the second, so that one person dies as opposed to five.

What is the second scenario in the trolley problem?

In contemporary ethics, Thomson’s second scenario, involving the fat man and the footbridge, is viewed as an indispensable part of the Trolley Problem, and is included in almost all presentations of the thought experiment. After all, the second scenario makes the problem interesting – and incredibly puzzling.

What is the difference between trolley dilemma and footbridge dilemma?

In the first trolley dilemma, the person who pulls the lever is saving the life of the five workers and letting the one person die. After all, pulling the lever does not inflict direct harm on the person on the side track. But in the footbridge scenario, pushing the fat man over the side is in intentional act of killing.