Description: A meme with the caption “Okay so that was trolley problem version number 7. Janeway opted to run over five Tuvixes instead of one EMH.” Below is a picture of the inside of a trolley with Janeway smiling and covered in gore. Michael and Eleanor from The Good Place are on either side of her. Michael is taking notes and Eleanor is amazed.
The trolley problem decision is entirely dependent on the amount of detail that’s provided.
What if the 5 people are 5 Jeffrey Dahmers, and the 1 person is Mr Rogers? What if those 5 Dahmers had been reformed and had spent the past 20 years in selfless charitable service to orphans, and the Mr Rogers was 98 and expected to live only a few more months?
You can twist the conditions endlessly to sway the decision either way; however, I tend to agree with you: if you’re given only the most basic information, the best choice is to save the most people.
If you choose not to decide, You still have made a choice.It’s also dependent on what type of moral philosophy you subscribe to. A strict utilitarian will answer differently than someone who practices Kantian deontology.
Very true. I think Buddhists might agree with the top comment that the only moral action in this case is no action.
That’s why, despite being a trite, overused topic whicha and any serious philosopher cringes at whenever it’s brought up, I think it’s a pretty interesting situation, where the answer says a lot about the responder. But it’s been beaten to death, and I’m sure professionals are sick of hearing about it.