Abstract
To ethicists ‘the trolley problem’ does not relate to the number of patients spilling out into hospital corridors, waiting to receive care. It relates to a 1960s thought experiment from a well known ethicist, Philippa Foot. The trolley in question is the American word for a tram or railway carriage. Imagine an unmanned carriage is hurtling down a track towards five people stuck on the rails, unable to move. You notice that there is a set of points with a lever — if you pull the lever the carriage will be diverted onto a side track where there is one single person stuck on the rails. If you do nothing five people will die, but it will not be your fault. If you pull the lever only one person will die, but you will have killed them. Should you pull the lever? In case you’re wondering, there isn’t a ‘right’ answer. The trolley problem is a way into …
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