Analysis: The Trolley Dilemma

The dilemma proposed is named The Trolley Dilemma. This dilemma consists of many scenarios, either as an onlooker or as the conductor of the trolley. The trolley is headed down a track with five workers, the brakes have a malfunction and do not work. There is a second track that the train can switch to, but there is one person on that track. The onlooker has to decide if they are going to pull the lever, while the conductor has to decide to turn or go straight. Another case to consider is a fat man leaning over the bridge the trolley passes under, you could push him and stop the train, saving the five, while killing him. The ultimate decision is between killing five people, saving one life, or killing one person, saving five lives. There are two ethical philosophies that can be used to analyze The Trolley Dilemma; Utilitarianism and Kantianism. Utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy that makes decisions based off consequences that maximize utility of happiness. Therefore, a utilitarian would choose to pull the lever as the bystander and as the conductor turn the train to the second track. They would also push the fat man over the bridge. The …show more content…
Kantianism is the opposite of utilitarianism in the sense that consequences of the actions are not the base on decision, rather one chooses to do the right thing, solely in the sake of doing good. Kantianism states that everyone has value and the value of every individual is equal. Kantianism uses The Categorical Imperative to clarify the principle of morality. The first formulation of the Categorical Imperative states one’s actions should be acceptable universally. The second formulation of the Categorical Imperative states that one should treat others with worth, not as a means for motive. The last formulation of the Categorical Imperative states that one should have awareness their maxim could be an example for a universal