Flashcards on The Trolley Problem in Ethics
The Trolley Problem in Ethics: Analysis, Summary & Debates
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Trolley Problem - Issues
28 cards
Card 1
Question: How does the trolley problem relate to criminal law regarding the distinction between intentional action and omission?
Answer: It highlights the tension between utilitarian and deontological approaches: a utilitarian might justify diverting the trolley to minimize deaths, but
Card 2
Question: Which classic English judicial decision is cited as a legal analogue to the trolley problem, and what principle does it highlight?
Answer: R v Dudley and Stephens (1884); it highlights that the defense of necessity has been rejected in cases of deliberate taking of life, and that 'greater
Card 3
Question: How does trolley-type reasoning appear in tort law and regulatory policy?
Answer: It appears in cost-benefit analyses that weigh harm against risk reduction (e.g., product design or environmental regulation), incorporating a utilita
Card 4
Question: Which formula and judicial case institutionalized a utilitarian calculation in negligence doctrine?
Answer: United States v. Carroll Towing Co. (1947) articulated the formula B < PL (burden of precaution B less than probability P times loss L), institutional
Card 5
Question: What contemporary legal discussion incorporates the trolley problem into its regulatory framework?
Answer: Discussions surrounding the regulation of autonomous vehicles, focusing on how to program decisions in inevitable collision scenarios and the potentia
Card 6
Question: In the 'Fat Man' variant of the trolley problem, what is the proposed moral difference between pulling the switch and pushing the fat man?
Answer: One suggested distinction is that in pulling the switch, harm to the one is an unintended side effect, whereas in pushing the fat man, the harm is an
Card 7
Question: What moral doctrine is invoked to justify that a bad side effect may be permissible while the intention to cause harm is not?
Answer: The doctrine of double effect, which permits actions with bad side effects if the harm is unintentional, although its application is debated.
Card 8
Question: According to the mentioned surveys, how do people typically react to the Switch versus the Fat Man scenarios?
Answer: Most people approve of diverting the trolley (Switch) to save more lives, but disapprove of pushing the fat man (Fat Man) despite the same net outcome
Card 9
Question: What types of problems are mentioned in relation to the trolley problem in the provided content?
Answer: Empirical and methodological problems (validity of experiments like the use of virtual reality), philosophical and legal debates, and problematic appl
Card 10
Question: What empirical criticism regarding trolley problem experiments is pointed out in the text?
Answer: That some experiments may be questionable or have limited validity—for example, articles and reports questioning whether popular experiments are usele