The Fatman and the Trolley

Swan Red · November 6, 2013

Scenario 1: There is a trolley car hurtling out of control towards 5 people who will be killed if you do nothing. There is a lever that will change the direction of the trolley which will result in 1 person not currently in danger being killed. Do you pull the lever.

Scenario 2: The same trolley car is out of control but instead of a lever there is a very fat man next to you who if you push him in front of the trolley will derail it and save the 5 people who will otherwise be killed. Do you kill the fat man?

Assume that your act is decisive, you may want to alert the people to the danger but for the purposes of this you either act and 1 person dies or you don't act and 5 people die.

Is there any moral distinction between killing the fat man by pushing him in front of the trolley car and the other guy who is killed because you diverted the trolley car. If you act differently in the two cases please state whether it's because you think there's a moral distinction of whether you think some other consideration, like the chances of being prosecuted, is decisive.

I'd prefer if Des didn't identify Martin Samuel as the fat man as it probably makes it easier to answer.

Duncan Disorderly · November 6, 2013

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