The Trolley Case
The trolley problem is used to practise decision-making in a hypothetical dilemma. It is a thought experiment. The key aspect here is reducing the dilemma to its moral core. This is because the decision for or against an action is made here independently of the context of the person acting.
Only the action and its consequences are assessed. Behind the two alternative courses of action lie two defining ethical schools of thought in the Western, secular world: Kantianism (deontological ethics) and utilitarianism (teleological ethics).
Module A – Dealing with dilemmas
- The Trolley Problem
- Torture dilemma
- Role Dilemma