The trolley problem is a well-known philosophical thought experiment in ethics that explores moral dilemmas and decision-making. It was first introduced by philosopher Philippa Foot in 1967 and later expanded upon by others, including Judith Jarvis Thomson.
The Scenario
A runaway trolley is heading down a track toward five people who are tied up and unable to move. You are standing near a lever that can switch the trolley to another track, where only one person is tied up. You have two options:
Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people.
Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the other track, killing one person instead of five.
Modern Relevance
The trolley problem is frequently used in discussions about artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. For instance, should a car be programmed to sacrifice its passengers to save pedestrians? It highlights the complexity of moral choices in real-world scenarios, making it a key tool for ethical debate and analysis.
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