Why I wouldn’t pull that lever.
I think at this point everyone has heard of the trolley thought experiment. Being one of the key dilemma in ethics, the trolley problem has made its way into pop culture, even included in one episode of The Good Place. For those who don’t know this thought experiment, imagine that there’s a trolley running down some tracks. On one side of the tracks there are 5 people tied down, which the trolley will run over, unless you pull a lever, in which the trolley will change course and instead run over only one person. It is the ultimate clash between utilitarianism and deontological ethics.
Do you pull the lever to maximise the goodness of the outcome, or do we instead base the morality of our action based on the action itself? In my philosophy class, every single person said that they would pull the lever to save those five and kill the one, myself included, but after careful consideration I do not think I would pull that lever. I feel like most people will pull that lever, after all you are saving five people at the expense of only one, therefore maximising the goodness of the outcome.
I’m no deontologist, and usually disagree with most of the deontological principles, but in my case I wouldn’t pull the lever. I wouldn’t pull the lever cause at that point I will become responsible for that person’s death, which is something I would not be able to live with. You must remember that in this situation, you aren’t the one responsible for putting their lives at danger, you do not know who tied those people to the tracks, not are responsible for the train not slowing down on time. It might seem harsh or cold, but you are in no way responsible or have a duty to save those people; but you would be responsible for the death of the other one if you do decide to pull the lever.
Let’s take a step back. Imagine you’re out with a group of friends or with your family. Suppose you’re going to eat at your favourite fast food restaurant, and to get there you must cross the road. You wait for the light to be green, you make sure you’re on the zebra crossing and look both ways before stepping on to the street and crossing. Out of nowhere a huge truck comes towards you at 100 miles an hour, about to hit your family. The only way to stop this is if you push a random passerby in front of said truck to stop it. Would you?
To me, I cannot possibly imagine what it would be like to end someone’s life. In this scenario, as grim as it may be, no one would blame you for your family’s or friend’s death. No one expected you to throw that man to his death to save them, and no one thinks you’re guilty of anything. Similarly, I apply this line of reasoning to the trolley problem. No one would blame you for their death, as you are not responsible, but if you pull that lever you will forever be haunted by your decision. You pulled the level, you killed that man.
Every day, we let thousands of people die due to our inaction, and yet we don’t blame ourselves for it. We could do so much more, whether it is volunteering or donating our money. Personally, I find it hard to take responsibility for things that aren’t my fault. I don’t think we should be going broke because of donating all our money, and I don’t think it’s reasonable to kill that man to save those others.
So, therefore, I do not see myself being able to pull that lever, but that’s just my opinion, and I’m interested in hearing your opinion in the comments.
