The Trolley Problem
Did you heard about The Trolley Problem? It is a thought experiment in ethics. The general form of the problem is this:
You see a runaway trolley moving toward five tied-up people lying on the tracks.
You are standing next to a lever that controls a switch. If you pull the lever, the trolley will be redirected onto a side track, and the five people on the main track will be saved. However, there is a single person lying on the side track. You have two options:
- Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track.
- Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person.
So which is the more ethical option?
And there is another variation of this problem called:
The Fat Man Problem
As before, a trolley is hurtling down a track towards five people. You are on a bridge under which it will pass, and you can stop it by putting something very heavy in front of it. As it happens, there is a very fat man next to you – your only way to stop the trolley is to push him over the bridge and onto the track, killing him to save five. Should you proceed?
Questions:
- So which is the more ethical option to you? Pull the lever, or do nothing?
- Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
- Do you like such ethical questions?
Now you can watch some tedx about this:
Comments
I would pull the lever just because I would not kill that many people. Sadly it's a psychopath decision but as we all know there is evil and bigger evil so I prefer this small evil.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
I wouldnt push the fat man on the rails just because he was never there and it was not meant for him to die. When it comes to people on tracks they would die and the lever was deciding who exacly, and fith pushing that man I would decide which is bad because we shouldnt decide who lives and who dies (with lever I guess we had to choose thats why I chosen a less evil option )
Do you like such ethical questions?
I don't like this type of questions because both answers are bad and shouldn't be made by anyone.
2. No, absolutely not for the same exact reason. Neither me or the fat man are responsible for those deaths. Killing the fat man is as bad as killing those people on the track – no difference, but the responsibility for the fat man’s death.
3. Honestly no, because they are disturbing just like paradoxes. It is just uncomfortable to think about them.
Do you like such ethical questions?
No I don’t. They are really hard to answer because there is no a good answer. Always somebody would die. Whatever I would do I would feel very bad. Probably also there would be other people, like family of a victim, who would blame me for my choice and letting die the person they loved.
In both cases that is not my problem an by making any decision, I volunteerely become involved in particularly shitty situation. Not my business, and no judgment for making a bad decision (which makes both of them in both of situations).
Even so, I would pull the lever and push the fat man over the bridge, because for me choosing to do something is the action. Options are "I decided that 1 person dies" and "I decided that 5 people die." People are going to die, but it’s up to me what decision is eventually made.
Yes, I like when a problem doesn’t have the “right” answer and it’s up to us to decide what’s is “good”.
I would pull the lever, as I’d rather save five lives instead of single one.
• Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
Yes, I would, same as in the first question – five lives are more valuable than a single one. The worst thing is doing nothing and just looking at things next to you as if they don’t concern you.
• Do you like such ethical questions?
Yes I do.
In my opinion, nobody has rights to decide is 5 people are more important than 1. What if those 5 are terrorists or something similar? What if you would safe 5 people and that 1 man who died was the man who would save the world? What if the man who would save the world is lying next to 4 terrorists? To be honest, I don't know what to do in that case. But maybe I would choose to kill 1 man, as I cannot save all of them, but I can save the majority.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
Definitely not. In previous situation none of 6 man had a choice to live or not, but in this situation fat man is not in danger, and I haven't any right to kill him, even to save 5 people. I must be a decision of a fat man.
Do you like such ethical questions?
No, I don't.
I would but only because im a psycho.... For real though the problem with such questions is that they are based on our ability to make and be responsible for decisions but those problems are flawed as nothing we have done thus far makes us in any way responsible for whats happening. Basically those dilemmas are asking people "would you take the blame for decision you made in good will?" or "Would you be able to convince yourself that options you had were both bad and you could not make it better"....
It is a really hard question and to be honest I don’t know what I would do if I were in that situation. Just to answer your question my answer is “pull the lever” but I don’t really know if it would be true if I was in this situation.
2. Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
I think I wouldn’t push the Fat Man. In the situation above I could try to justify my behavior of pulling the lever with “He was already on the tracks”, I know that it’s weak but It’s something. I can’t possibly think about one thing that would justify my behavior of pushing the fat man even to myself.
3. Do you like such ethical questions?
No, I hate it. It’s really hard to think about so complicated things. I’d rather not have to think about them ;)
I would leave it just as it is. When it comes to the life numbers don't matter, so I would leave it to the fate. Also I assume that doing something in this case will be considered by society as cruel. When I'm pulling the lever I decide who lives and who dies; when I do nothing, it's the matter of the fate.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
Absolutely not! I don't even understand why it is an option! And also why his weight is the main characteristic of him?
Do you like such ethical questions?
Not at all. I don't really know what they should prove and it's totally exhausting for me to think about the answers.
I would pull the lever, In my opinion, this is a "lesser evil". Although I don't like to make such a hard decision.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
When making such a decision, I would be guided by the character and deeds of this man, not his external appearance
Do you like such ethical questions?
None of us is entitled to make such decisions.
It's all a matter of choice. But people with authority often have to do it. And sometimes the answer is obvious, you need to donate one life to save the majority. Although it depends on who this one person is. If this is your loved one, or because of this person may experience even greater problems, the choice is complicated.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
There is no such fat person in the world that he stops the train with his body. Although the analogy is clear to me. Hardly I would be able to push someone because the lever is an indirect murder. And pushing someone under the train, you kill him directly, with your own hands.
Do you like such ethical questions?
Yes, I really love these puzzles. But usually, I prefer not to share my opinion. Often my answer is too immoral for other people.
I do not know what is more ethical, choose or do nothing? I would pull the lever.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
I know it's a bad but fat man can save these people. I do not think I would do anything. It's a difficult decision.
Do you like such ethical questions?
I like these questions. It's nice that we're talking about how the human brain works.
What if fat man is your father?
Most ethical it would be to stop the train with magic force. I would not pull the lever just because it would put me in charge. I think no one should decide whose life has more value and putting that much of a responsibility on someone shoulder is not ethical. I would love to see the ending that all people survive.
2. Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
I would not push the Fat Man on the rails. He has a right to live as well. And we are not 100% sure that he would stop the train.
3.Do you like such ethical questions?
I do not. They are too hypothetical.
These are no ethical options in there because whatever decision you will choose you will kill someone. Doing nothing and knowing that you could do something is also a decision.
• Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
No, I would not. Well maybe if I know someone among these five people. But let be hones if this man is so heavy that he can stop trolley I don’t think that I have enough strength to lift him or even push.
• Do you like such ethical questions?
No, I don’t, because these are just wishful thinking mostly, we don’t know what we would do until it happens
Same as above. In both situations performing saying “not my cup of tea” and leaving is for me the same as someone would need medical help on the street and you just pass by.
I don’t. Especially these, because they are designed to make you feel guilty, while you are actually saving more lives with action.
If You ever played a game Wither 3 You could know about choices of minor evil of huge evil, whatever You choose, future dosesnt change that much as it could.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
I don't feel i could do it becouse my spirit won't let me do this, and i think that it isnt him/her choose to be fatty, i think it could be genetical and his/her fat is only the result of event of creation
Do you like such ethical questions?
Yea i like them becouse they could show us the truth reflection of ourselfes, and let us think about our system of values in any case.
Both of these options are strongly unethical. If all of those people are strangers, I would pull the lever, because it is better to save at least 5 lives, not 1.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
Rather yes than no, depends on guaranties that it will save the lives of those people , who are tied to the track.
Do you like such ethical questions?
Simply hate them, because they simply have no sense.
I believe that doing nothing is more ethical because I think this one life is as valuable as the other five. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. How I see it, is by pulling the lever I would intentionally kill someone, not save someone.
Would you push the Fat Man on the rails?
No, I wouldn't push him off the bridge. I wound't want to be responsible for any deaths. Yes, the others would die but there's no killing anybody on purpose.
Do you like such ethical questions?
Yeah, I like this kind of questions but they make me feel a bit uncomfortable.