Culpability and Penitence: The Intrinsic Morality of the Trolley Problem

Abstract

The trolley problem is uniquely illuminating in the world of moral philosophy, and it is relevant to all three schools of ethics: deontological ethics, virtue ethics, and consequentialist ethics. Numerous researchers have written at length about trolley problem variations and real-world applications of ethical dilemmas, but there is a paucity of research pertaining to the worldviews of teenagers in particular; most of the existing literature on trolleyology focuses on the inclinations of adults. The findings of this teenage-centered project suggest that, in a trolleyological context, teenagers are more strongly utilitarian than adults are. Further research can be done to broaden the scope of the topic and ascertain the unique factors that contribute to juvenile morality.