Trolley Problem – Moral or Mathematical?

Let’s go to the hypothetical world. Be ready to scratch your head and solve the puzzle with your imaginative right brain and logical left brain.

Does “All life has the same value” in reality? Called as a psychological problem or utilitarianism or ethical bias question, TROLLEY PROBLEM has baffled many researchers, philosophers, psychologists and many ethicists since decades with this question. Let us first understand what this trolley problem is all about.
 
There’s a trolley barreling towards a split in the tracks. If the trolley proceeds in the present course, it will run over five people tied to the track. The only way to save the lives of the five workers is to divert the trolley onto another track that only has one person tied on it.  You have access to a lever that could switch the trolley to a different track. AS A BYSTANDER AT THE SWITCH, WILL YOU PULL THE LEVER AND END ONE LIFE TO SPARE FIVE? You do not have any other option except these two. (There are many versions of trolley problem, but this is a standard version.

The Trolley Problem is a thought experiment first devised in 1967. There is no evident reason why this problem has received so much attention that it has many research papers too. I would suggest you to first try to answer it and then move further. You can also ask your friends, colleagues and family members to have an idea of the diverse perspectives.

Now the main question is should we actively kill someone, or passively let five die? Does ethics mean a simple calculation of number of survivors in the trolley problem? Research says that more than 70% people prefer to pull the switch to kill 1 and save 5. But my question is would you change your answer if, in the real world, that one person who will be killed is your child, your spouse, a small baby, an old woman, the person whom you hate, the person who is your ideal, a murderer? Are ethics and feelings quantifiable and mathematizable?
 
How a person respond in the moment may be quite different from how you respond in theory. In a situation like that of the trolley, most of us would be too paralyzed by the uncertainty to maneuver the switch.
 
I do not believe there will ever be a perfect solution to the Trolley Problem, nor a consensus as to the best possible solution. The answer, I feel, is that there is no definitive solution. Like most philosophical problems, the Trolley Problem is not designed to have a solution. It is, rather, intended to provoke thought, and create an intellectual pulse in which the difficulty of resolving moral dilemmas is appreciated, and our limitations as moral agents are recognized. The Trolley Problem does not have to be resolved; it merely needs to be contemplated.
 

But, I guess, the hype arises because a solution to the Trolley Problem will reveal general moral principles. Such principles, in turn, may apply to challenging, real‐world moral problems such as those encountered in the domains of bioethics, wars, the design and regulation of autonomous machines such as self‐driving cars and drones. This makes Trolley Problem dilemma more relevant than before.

Thank you for your time. You can also mail me your doubts, if any, at komalnsoftu@gmail.com. Kindly let me know about the topics you want to read, I will try to post accordingly.