a moral dilema. or is it?
I was presented this interesting scenario today, I thought I’d share with you.
Apparently this is a common topic of discussion amongst lawyers and judges and the circles of people around them. It is a scenario that could easily be played out in real life.
It is known as the Trolley Problem. And it goes like this:
A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are 5 people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, you can flip a switch which will lead the trolley down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single person tied to that track. Should you flip the switch?
What would you do? I see that there are two options and each one comes with its own implications. One, you flip the switch and save five people but one dies. Two, you don’t flip the switch and five people die. The discussion usually revolves around your involvement, the moral obligation, and the logical decisions that could be made. If you don’t touch the switch, the mad philosopher is to blame 100%. If you flip the switch, even though you feel like you made the right choice, you have now become involved and are partially responsible for the one person’s death.
Would you flip the switch?
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related: philosophy, trolley, moral question, ethical debate, logical decisions
Lawyers and Judges? More like stoners i’d say