The Trolley Problem

My quick synopsis of the trolley problem.

Wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem

Science blog discussing the problem:
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/03/morality_and_war.php

Sam Harris essay defending torture:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-harris/in-defense-of-torture_b_8993.html

This is a video response to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAuHzZHUSwM

Quick clarification: I do not consider evolutionary origins of morality to be the source of our values. They are at best an explanation of where our morals come from. Evolution may reward survival, but it doesn't care about you and it puts no intrinsic value on human life. The value we have for life comes wholly from our innate moral sense.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• trolley
• problem
• fatman
• moral
• ethical
• dilemma
• torture
• murder
• cousinomacul
• neurology
• psychology
• philosopher
• philosophy

[roflsaurasrex]

Fuck that fat fucker.

[Skillbus]

My favorite variation of this is "If there are 5 people about to die if they don't get organ transplants, all needing different organs, and a healthy dude walks in, do you rip him open and take his organs?"

[miketheripper666]

they are in fact 2 diffrent problems:

1. if i'm the train driver i'll have to kill some one eather way - of course i'll chose the part when i'll make less victims or i'll simply jump off the train;

2. but on the second problem is not my fault that the train driver was unlucky i don't want to kill any body so i'll walk away because i can choose not to go to jail or to take the fat man's life on my consciousness; i don't think the law (or anybody) covers the part that i kill 1 to save 5...

[oneoctavelow]

None of the options offered could possibly survive the scrutiny of a court prosecution. The only morally sound thing to do in the two scenarios is abstain from action altogether. The trolly dilemma is nonsense, it offers no moral challenge specifically because ...

[oneoctavelow]

Pushing the fat unsuspecting man over the cliff to his death to save 5 equally innocent people is called homicide. Changing the tracks knowing that doing so will kill one person is called homicide. Killing one innocent to save another innocent is called murder. Where's the dillema?

[comborye]

As the trolley driver, I am not morally responsible. I was put into an impossible situation. I did not cause it. I would not push the fat man because then I would be the cause. this example tries to create confusion on the ethical level where you are trying to equate ethics to 'an innate moral sense'. ask yourself sometime, why is this situation a flawed example of ethics? when you do, you will be dealing closer with the metaphysical premisses you have chosen that define your ethics.

[rummyisme]

wouldn't the it be more so that the action is different to physically push the person means your interacting more yet hitting the switch is not in direct contake of the person its like pulling the trigger of a gun

[rummyisme]

i would push the fat man

[lifevt94hellotoworld]

Great video! Nice Reflection.

[MrJellyJars]

in the case of the fatman the right moral choice to make

is too sometimes push him

if you always push him, fat men will stop standing on railway bridges

and then the 5 will always have to die

if you never push him the 5 will always die anyway

but if you push him sometimes

then potentially the 5 will be saved the most because the fat man is pushed often but not often enough that the choice is removed

by always choosing you may create the conditions in which the choice is eventually removed

[TJae1]

thought it was troll-ey ~

lol

[everynickisunavailab]

Haha, interesting question. But in real life people pbb don't have enough of time to think or decide so the 5 will die.

I personally think the 2 scenarios aren't exactly the same. The 1st one, u have 2 choices, accidentally kill 5 or intentionally kill one. Also it's u who do it since u are on the trolley. While the second u either kill 1 or watching an accident that kill 5. Most people would choose 2