trolley problem

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Coined by American philosopher Judith Thomson.

Noun[edit]

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[edit]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=trolley_problem&oldid=72378470"