The Trolley Problem

This isn't a test and there are no winners or losers. It's a hypothetical intended to challenge your notions of morality. If you want to cheat, you only cheat yourself.

Well, five people were careless enough to put their lives at risk, but just because they outnumbered the one who had a care for his own safety, he should suffer for it? That was my line of thought behind saying that regardless of the number of people on the tracks he should just take the one that the trolley was intended to go on in the first place.



It shouldn't, that was beside the point, sorry. But one person was out of harms way to begin with. He isn't in danger because a train is supposed to go where he is standing. He is in danger because there are five people blocking the path of the train, forcing the driver to consider alternative routes.

So I guess Edward could change tracks, kill the one man and put the blame on the five who were on the tracks. But if so, why shouldn't he just run over the five? People should pay for their own carelessness. It shouldn't be inflicted on others.



I'd say Edward is blameworthy only if it was within his power to keep anyone from getting hurt. It seems to me that in this case that is not within his power, unless he knew the breaks were not working before he put the train in motion.



I don't think there are any easy answers. If I had been forced to make such choices I would have wanted as much information as possible. But the information wouldn't necessarily be to make the right choice, but more to justify whichever choice I did make in the end.

What if Edward does nothing?

How is moral responsibility define?

What should Edward do

This can be as interesting as you'd like to make it and without any further context you might instantly lean towards

"well Edward should save the most people he can"

This can get a bit "spicier" as it were if we have more information about the people

What if the five people on the tracks where all prisoners awaiting death sentences

What if the one person was Edward's pregnant wife

Is Edward going into this scenario blind as it were or is their any protocol that might make the decision easier - eg Perhaps he is trained to reduce the number of casualties as much as possible in situations like this

Does Edward have a firm belief in and pray to an all powerful deity if so he could refrain from turning the trolley and pray

Well that single person WAS a minority. The kid's a GOPer thru and thru.

More details: Are any of them in the GOP or Trump or his kids?