trolley problem

English

Etymology

Coined by American philosopher Judith Thomson.

Noun

trolley problem (plural trolley problems)

1. A type of thought experiment in ethics and psychology, involving ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number.
   • 2015 October 9, Lauren Cassani Davis, “Would You Pull the Trolley Switch? Does it Matter?”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     By the late ‘90s, trolley problems had fallen out of fashion. Many philosophers questioned the value of the conclusions reached by analyzing a situation so bizarre and specific.

Related terms

• trolleyology

See also

• Heinz dilemma

Further reading

• trolley problem on Wikipedia.Wikipedia