What are your thoughts about the trolley problem? What would you do if [i]you[/i] had the lever/button? Explanation of the trolley problem in spoiler. [spoiler]You're in a room with a lever/button that controls the train tracks. You can see a bunch of innocent people tied up right in the path of the trolley (they'd die if they get run over). However, there is an alternative path for the trolley, which would kill one innocent person. [i]You[/i] can pull the lever and switch the tracks, killing one person but saving many. Or, you can do nothing at all, and allow the several to be killed. Nobody is watching you. It's all your choice. What will you choose? It basically comes down to, will you kill a person to let many others live? Or would you not kill the one person and let the others die? There is no way to save both groups at once. [/spoiler] Alternate wording: [spoiler]you are a train junction operator, working alone, whom sees a train approaching and it is not slowing down as the driver has had a heart attack and died. There is nobody else on the train. The trains current course sees it go forward, unchanged at the junction and it will run over 3 workers on the track. In front of you there is a lever which, if pulled, can send the train into a siding where there is one worker on the track. The workers on both lines are in the middle of the track, wearing earmuffs and engrossed in their work, they will not hear the train coming, they WILL be killed if the train comes in their direction. You do not know any of the workers on either track. You can assume all workers are of equal societal worth, and all have families. Nobody knows the original direction of the train. Nobody will know that it was you whom were up in the tower. Nobody will know if you pulled, or didnt pull the lever. Nobody will charge you, sue you or ridicule/congratulate you for your decision. QUESTIONS 1 would you pull the lever? 2 do you consider not pulling the lever to be equally as significant as pulling the lever? 3 would your response change if you were, or were not, an employee of the rail service involved in this hypothetical accident, or if you were just a lay person whom happened to be in the tower? 4 if you knew someone accidently left the lever in the forward position (killing 3), would you change it back to originally go down the siding (killing one)? [/spoiler] Discuss.