A Neurotransmitter Approach to the Trolley Problem

Abstract

Is it ethically permissible to sacrifice the life of one human being in order to save the lives of five others? This question forms the basis of the famous thought experiment called “the trolley problem.” Surveys have found that 90 percent of people agree it is permissible when the victim to be sacrificed is described as off in the distance, whereas the opposite result occurs if the victim is described as up close. No consistent ethical principle has been identified that account for these results. In this paper we propose a solution based on the neurobiology of the human brain with regard to processing objects in three-dimensional space. We argue that the solution to this problem is that different neurotransmitters are activated when managing objects that are far away (dopamine) versus up close (e.g., serotonin and oxytocin). These different neurotransmitters tend to make people apply different ethical philosophies: utilitarianism and harm aversion, respectively.