What is the 'Trolley Problem?' | Merriam-Webster

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 ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks JoinMWU MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut WordsWe'reWatching NextStop:‘TrolleyProblem’ Wehaveaharddecisiontomake. WhattoKnow Thetrolleyproblemisathoughtexperimentinethicsaboutafictionalscenarioinwhichanonlookerhasthechoicetosave5peopleindangerofbeinghitbyatrolley,bydivertingthetrolleytokilljust1person.Thetermisoftenusedmorelooselywithregardtoanychoicethatseeminglyhasatrade-offbetweenwhatisgoodandwhatsacrificesare"acceptable,"ifatall. Holyforkingshirtballs Trolleyproblemisthenamegiventoathoughtexperimentinphilosophyandpsychology.Ithassproutedanumberofvariations,butisdistilledtosomethinglikethis:youareridinginatrolleywithoutfunctioningbrakes,headedtowardaswitchinthetracks.Onthecurrenttrackstandfivepeoplewhostandtobekilledifthetrolleycontinuesonitspath.Youhaveaccesstoaswitchthatwouldmakethetrolleychangetotheothertrack,butanotherindividualstandsthere.Thatpersoniscertaintobekillediftheswitchisactivated. Sodoyouswitchtracksornot? Utilitarianismvs.Deontologicalism Theproblemcomesupindiscussionsofethicsandmoralchoice,pittingtheideaofresponsibilityagainstthemeasurementofgoodbyanendresult.Ontheonehand,itmightseemobviousthatthedeathsoffivewouldbeaworseresultthanthedeathofanindividual.Ontheotherhand,inordertochangecourse,youhavetomaketheactivedecisiontoputthatdoomedindividualinthepathofthetrolley. Theschoolofthoughtthatkillingtheonepersontosavethefiveisusuallyalignedwithutilitarianism(thebeliefthatthebestactionsarethosethatresultinthegreatestgoodforthegreatestnumberofpeople).Anotherschool,thatofdeontologicalethics,arguesthatanactionisinherentlyrightorwrongregardlessoftheconsequences.Thisschoolwouldfavoragainsttakingtheactionthatresultsinthekillingoftheindividualontheothertrack. Thetrolleydilemmasvividlydistilledthedistinctionbetweentwodifferentconceptsofmorality:thatweshouldchoosetheactionwiththebestoverallconsequences(inphilosophy-speak,utilitarianismisthemostwell-knownexampleofthis),likeonlyonepersondyinginsteadoffive,andtheideathatweshouldalwaysadheretostrictduties,like“neverkillahumanbeing.”Thesubtledifferencesbetweenthescenariosprovidedhelpedtoarticulateinfluentialconcepts,likethedistinctionbetweenactivelykillingsomeoneversuspassivelylettingthemdie,thatcontinuetoinformcontemporarydebatesinlawandpublicpolicy.Thetrolleyproblemhasalsobeen,andcontinuestobe,acompellingteachingtoolwithinphilosophy —LaurenCassaniDavis,TheAtlantic,9Oct.2015 Twitterusersarepointingoutjusthowridiculousthecapitalistdilemmaisrightnow—it'sbarelyatrolleyproblematall.Whyputsomuchweightoneconomicdevelopmentwhenthereareliteralhumanlivesatrisk? —MorganSung,Mashable,24Mar.2020 HistoryoftheTrolleyProblem EnglishphilosopherPhilippaFootiscreditedwithintroducingthisversionofthetrolleyproblemin1967,thoughanotherphilosopher,JudithThomsonoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,iscreditedwithcoiningthetermtrolleyproblem.(Thomsonalsoposedanalternatescenario,whichinvolvesthequestionofwhetherabystanderonanoverpassshouldthrowafatmanovertherailtohisdeathinordertostopatrolleybelowfromkillingthefivepeopleonthetrack.) Recenteventshaveelevatedthetrolleyproblemtoprominenceinpopularcultureandpoliticaldiscourse.Notably,itservedasadeviceinseveralepisodesoftheNBCsitcomTheGoodPlace,whosecharactersarechallengedwithfindingapathtogoodnessintheafterlife.AsChidiAnagonye,aprofessorofmoralphilosophy,leadsdiscussionsofethicaldecision-makingdespitebeingchronicallyindecisivehimself,heparticipatesinthetrolleyproblemonanactualtrolleytobloodycomiceffect.(Thetrolleyproblemhasalsofiguredintothestorylinesoftwootherseries,TheUnbreakableKimmySchmidtandOrangeIstheNewBlack.) Thetrolleyproblemisonethatcanbeeasilyvisualized,anditcanbeusedasametaphorinsomanyscenariosthatithasnaturallybecomethesubjectofanumberofinternetmemes. "Thetrolleyproblemisjustonemoredepressingexampleofacademicphilosophers’obsessionwithconcentratingonselected,artificialexamplessoastododgethestressoflookingatrealissues."-MaryMidgleypic.twitter.com/Zx9KjSaN58—EthicsinBricks(@EthicsInBricks)April8,2020 Thetrolleyproblemisinvokedinpoliticaldecision-making,andhassurfacedindiscussionsconcerningtheresponseofleaderstotheCOVID-19pandemic,andthemoralimplicationsoftakingactionthatcouldreduceoverallharmwhileendangeringaselectnumberintheprocess.Inthetechnologysector,ascenariothatcloselyresemblesaliteraltrolleyproblemcomesupwithregardtoautonomousvehiclesandhowtoprogramthemtoharmthefewestnumberofpeopleintheeventofinevitablecollision. Expertsfeeltheproposed$291millionbudgetwillbeinsufficient,nottomentionthatthemassiveundertakingwilltakededicatedcooperationbetweenfederal,state,andlocalgovernment.Also,turningoureyehomehaslessenedresourcesslatedtogotofightingAIDSabroad,butyou’llhavetosolvethatparticularTrolleyProblemforyourself. —JefRouner,TheHoustonPress,3May2019 ThePredatordrone,conceivedinthe1990sandflownformillionsofhourssincethen,haschangedthewaytheUSfightswars,bothforbetterandforworse.ItkeepsUStroopsoutofharm'sway,butitalsoremovesthemfromthein-the-momentdecisionsofwar.Predatorstrikescanbeincrediblyprecise,buttheyhavekilledhundredsofcivilians.Dronewarfarehasbeenhotlydebatedsinceitsinception—it'sbothatechnologicaldebateandamoralone,asortofTrolleyProblemfortheskies. —DavidPierce,_Wired _,1Feb.2018 Theactualphilosophicalconceptsaren'tasimportantrightnowasthedilemmaitself.It'ssupposedtobehard.Eitherway,you'reonatrolleythatsmooshessomeoneandthatstinks.Iftherewereaneasyanswer,itwouldn'tbea"problem."ItwouldbetheFunTrolleyPuzzle!3/—KenTremendous(@KenTremendous)March24,2020 Share MoreWordsAtPlay You're(Probably)SayingItWrong 18wordsevenyoumightbemispronouncing 17Red,White,andBluePoliticalTerms Redtape,whitecollars,bluelaws,andmorecolorfulwordsfromgovernment TheVocabularyTestFromHell Studentsin1915knewthesewords.Doyou? 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