Happy #trolleyday!
Today's the birthday of Philippa Foot, the mother of one of the best known ethical dilemmas of our time: the 'trolley problem'.
The original trolley problem:
A brakeless trolley nears.
If you don't act, 5 people will die.
If you change its track by pulling the lever, only 1 will die.
What will you do?
#trolleyday
The trolley problem fallacy:
Perceiving the world as a collection of pullable levers.
#trolleyday
A variation of the trolley problem:
5 people die if they don't receive a different vital organ.
1 healthy person enters with all 5 vital organs functioning.
Is it better to save the 5 by killing the 1?
"You can also commit injustice by doing nothing."
- Marcus Aurelius
A trolley nears.
No one is in danger.
You are an ethics teacher.
Should you put people on the trolley tracks in order to keep your job?
🚋
Today's tip:
Never stand too close to a utilitarian on a trolley overpass.
#trolleyday
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.