The "Trolley Problem" which was first described by the philosopher, Philippa Foot, has the following standard form (as by now no doubt you realise! Variations of the Trolley Problem. A debater is making a speech. The Trolley Problem is a test of human ethics as they face a decision whether or not to kill one person to save four or to let the four die. Saying that it is fine to murder would, according to Kant, eventually lead to a contradiction. It's called the trolley problem, and it's all about how far you'd be willing to go to save lives in an emergency – even if it meant killing somebody. The term is often used more loosely with regard to any choice that seemingly has a trade-off between what is good and what sacrifices are "acceptable," if at all. The body of the stranger would prevent the train from hitting the five people. The trolley problem; the choice is yours to decide whether or not the lives of five people are saved by the sacrifice of another person. Father, help us out of it. That’s the classic trolley problem. All of a sudden, you see a trolley barrelling down curiously fast. He wants to argue that some person has such-and-such a legal right. The Trolley problem was a thought experiment first introduced by Philippa Foot in 1967. Fortunately, the trolley problem is a rather good illustration of this. In this essay I will defend Thomson’s argument of the Trolley Problem in great detail, as well as present alternative cases that will strengthen Thomson’s view that deflecting harm from a large group of people to a smaller group is morally permissible only if neither group has a moral claim against the impending harm being deflected onto them by a third party. This moral paradox mirrors real-life implications in politics, society and war. Trolley Problem: "Suppose you are the driver of a trolley. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people. In the case of the Trolley Problem, we are essentially concerned with death and murder - or as we put it initially, as actively killing someone. The Trolley problem would be related to the debates on utilitarianism in that according more importance to the good of the majority can lead to the disregard of the rights of the minority. This problem is presented in two different ways, however, the result is the same in both cases either one or four people die. The good news is that discussions about ethics are becoming more common in computer science classrooms at universities. The trolley rounds a bend, and there come into view ahead five track workmen, who have been repairing the track. The trolley problem has also been, and continues to be, a compelling teaching tool within philosophy. For context, the trolley problem is a famous ethical dilemma. Social contract arguments are incredibly painful to watch. Trolley Problem miscellaneous thoughts about debating. In 1984, this problem was reintroduced in an academic paper by Dr. JJ Thomson. The Trolley Problem (Classic) You’re a diligent, honest worker chopping away on the railway tracks in Victoria London. According to the Moral Difference Argument, trolley cases and real-world collisions are different in at least some morally significant respects; and these differences render trolley cases of little or no relevance to the moral design problem.. The philosophers created the test to offer an alternative to the Trolley Problem, a dilemma so often used to evaluate utilitarianism that it’s become a cliché. ): A trolley is running out of control down a track. Wednesday, December 19, 2012. There is nothing morally special about trolleys, except the historical accident that around thirty years ago the great philosophers Philippa Foot and Judith Jarvis Thomson used trolleys in a series of examples, originally to help us think about moral aspects of abortion. 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