The Trolley Problem, What Should You Do? 🚂
The Trolley Problem
There is a train that is rolling down some tracks. However, in front of it is five men, they are all tied down and cannot move. You see a lever near you; if you pull the lever, the track will be diverted to the second set of tracks. In spite of that, there is one man tied down on the second set of tracks.
There is no one else around as you are near a deserted part of tracks. There is no alternative either than pulling the lever and saving five lives or not pulling the lever and indirectly murdering one person.
You have two choices,
- Don't pull the lever, killing five but saving one
- Pull the lever, killing one but saving five
What choice is the best and most ethical choice?
The Choices
Most people would agree with the 'greater good' argument. This states that pulling the lever saves more lives and therefore, it's better. In surveys taken about the trolley problem, most people will say that they would pull that lever to save more lives, it seems logical. However, it is actually doing the action that is the hard part.
Almost everyone says they'd pull the lever, but actually pulling the lever is a different situation. What most psychologists think would happen is that most of us would just freeze. We would be so scared and confused by the situation that most of us would just stand there in shock and watch five innocent humans be badly hurt.
On the other hand, there is the percentage that would pull the lever. The trolley problem is the true test of courage within humanity. The bravest souls will get passed that frozen period and act upon the situation. They would pull the lever and save five lives and let one die. However, they would be a direct result of that one person's death. If you just stand there, you aren't at fault for the five deaths, but if you flip that lever, you have a direct affect on the life of that one person.
I wonder how this problem would hold up in court if it actually happened. We have not been able to try the trolley problem on actual humans and see their instincts and reactions... until now!
Michael Stevens from the YouTube channel 'Vsauce' has a YouTube Red Series called 'Mindfield.' In the first episode of the new series, he explores the trolley problem and has a real-world simulation set up for it. I recommend watching it.
You forgot a third option. Can a person get onto the trolley and stop it? You might find that a few people would try to get on and stop it, thus potentially saving all of the men.
The scenarios never give you enough time to get to the trolley. You're several hundred feet away with only 2-3 seconds to switch the tracks.
Interesting post!
Even more interesting is the driverless car scenarios (Look up The Moral Machine). Most people want the car to kill as few people as possible in a typical scenario even if the drivers are killed - but almost no one wants the car to ever sacrifice them.
I seen this scenario the other day in the TV series The Good Place (Series 2). I can't remember which episode.
I personally feel that the question itself is a red herring as there is not enough information to work with. What it does mean is that humans should not play God as God has more information to work with when it comes to making a decision.
God would know what was the most important for humanity, a machine or human could never reach that type of intelligence.
The one person, may in the future, become a world leader and bring peace all over the world hence killing him/her may be the difference to the existence of humankind. (We will never know what the butterfly effect would be.)
However, if there was a choice to be made, the person, or people/group/organisation, that caused the question in the first place is where the responsibility lies. The person on the train having to make the decision is innocent due to the limited choice of what they are given hence it does not really matter what their decision is.
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