is this a problem?

if you allow the trolley to continue on its course some say this is akin to allowing the people to die but to switch the tracks in this case would be seen as active act of killing.  

however, the majority of people feel it is permissible to switch the tracks in order to maximize the number of lives saved.  this seems to lend support to the ethical theory of Utilitarianism which argues one should choose actions that maximize utility (the greatest good for the greatest number of people).

but the problem does not end here, a variation of the trolley problem was then introduced to challenge this Utilitarian interpretation of the choice to switch the tracks.  here, instead of switching the tracks to prevent the trolley from killing the three, you can push an innocent bystander onto the tracks who is large enough to stop the trolley.  however, this will kill the innocent bystander.

given this innocent bystander scenario, most of the same people who thought it was permissible to switch the tracks to redirect the trolley to kill the one will argue that it is impermissible to push the bystander onto the tracks.  

this, according to some philosophers, shows a stronger difference between killing and let die. to switch the tracks is more akin in this interpretation to letting die and pushing the innocent bystander to killing

the trolley problem

so last time I mentioned the distinction between killing and let die in ethics briefly.  one way this idea has been explored is through the hypothetical case called the trolley problem.  what's the problem? well, here's one version of the dilemma...

you are the driver of a trolley that is headed perilously towards three people on the trolley tracks.  if the trolley continues on its path the three people will be killed by the trolley but you cannot stop the trolley in time.  however, you can switch the trolley onto an alternate track avoiding the three in danger.  unfortunately, one person is on the alternate track and switching the track will mean killing the one person instead of the three.  what do you do? do you switch the tracks killing the one and sparing the three already in danger? or do you allow the trolley to continue on its path killing the three?

next time, more on how this dilemma and how it connects to the distinction between killing and let die

Is there a difference between killing and letting die?

in ethics a distinction has been argued for between killing someone versus letting them die. for instance, say a person in a coma is hooked up to a ventilator to support his breathing. if you disconnect them, they will die. but is this killing them? or merely letting them die since they cannot breathe on their own?

more on this soon...