Explaining Morality and Ethics: The Trolley Problem

In a modern world, you’d think we would all be able to agree on what it means to be moral and ethical. However, it's quite clear that we can’t agree, and in many cases, we can't even articulate rules for morality that work in every scenario.

What's causing all the confusion?

The big problem of morality is that not every situation is so black and white. This is beautifully represented in a book titled the trolley problem. The trolley problem asks some basic questions to point out the lack of a dichotomy when it comes to solving such problems. For example, let's begin with the basic ethical dilemma.

In this situation, you are watching as an out-of-control trolley steams down the tracks with 5 construction workers performing maintenance on the track. However, you stand near a lever that will turn the tram onto another track where only one worker is currently working. For the sake of this example, we will say that you know for a fact not pulling the lever will lead to 5 deaths, and pulling the lever will lead to one. Take a moment to think about which one you’d choose in that situation.

Photo by POR7O on Unsplash

Now I want to propose to you another situation. You are the doctor of a small town that has 5 ailing patients. All of them require transplants of some sort or another. One day a…