Is there a right or wrong answer to the trolley problem?

In response to the Problem, philosophers influenced by Kant have argued that one ought not to use human beings as a means to save others, so it would be morally right to steer the trolley away from the five, but morally wrong to push the fat man.

What is the Charlie problem?

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. On the current track stand five people who stand to be killed if the trolley continues on its path.

What does your answer to the trolley problem say about you?

In the Trolley Problem, a train is hurtling down the tracks towards five men stuck in its path. The utilitarian answer is that the moral decision is to sacrifice the heavyweight man, because you’d still be killing one to save five.

What does the Trolley Problem says about you?

The trolley problem highlights a fundamental tension between two schools of moral thought. The utilitarian perspective dictates that the most appropriate action is the one that achieves the greatest good for the greatest number.

What is the trolley problem called?

Trolley Dilemma
The “Trolley Dilemma’ is an ethical thought experiment where there is a runaway trolley moving down railway tracks. In its path, there are five people tied up and unable to move and the trolley is heading straight for them. People are told that they are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever.

Is the trolley problem a problem or solution?

Omid Panahi finds that finding a solution is not the problem. The Trolley Problem is a thought experiment first devised by the Oxford moral philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967.

Should we pull the trolley lever to save people?

If self-sacrifice for a greater number of people is not an obligation, then sacrificing someone else to save a greater amount of people without their consent cannot be the right thing to do. The trolley problem does not provide enough information to determine whether or not one should pull the lever.

Is there a “right” answer to everything?

Thought experiments such as the infamous trolley problem and political issues such as the death penalty are so captivating precisely because there is no “right” answer. We determine “right” and “wrong” based off constantly changing emotions and unconscious factors (e.g. what people around us think).

What would a Kantist do about the trolley problem?

Now that we’ve been roughly introduced to Kant’s moral philosophy, we can examine what a Kantist would do when faced with the trolley problem. A utilitarian (without delving into the specifics of act vs total) as we concluded above would pull the lever because saving four lives creates more utility than only saving one.