Let's get ethical: The Trolley Problem

Hey guys, it's Mani! In today's video I thought I'd give you guys a little insight into a philosophical thought experiment that I find super intriguing: the trolley problem!
If you enjoyed this, this is just the beginning with the kid of questions that different ethical theories raise, and so there is so much out there to read!
Do let me know if there are other topics in Computer Science or Philosophy that you might be interested in, as I'd be happy to see if I whip up a video about it!
If you enjoyed this, do check out my personal KZbin channel here:
/ @thisismani
My Instagram is: / manindersachdeva
The group Instagram page for The StudyTube Project is:
/ thestudytubeproject
We really appreciate you guys watching! Don't forget to like the video if you enjoyed it and subscribe to channel as we'll be releasing a new video EVERYDAY!!

[@mooloomoo]

the good place prepared me for this moment

[@jade-sapphire6603]

〃 honestly same

[@miagracee3408]

Me: starts thinking too deeply **stares into the abyss for the next two hours**

[@thestudytubeproject5210]

honesty, this is probably great time in our lives to spent hours thinking haha

[@iamimbisile]

Careful, lest it stare back.

[@naomicorbet612]

He is like a real life Chidi from the good place, making me question all of my life choices

[@ruxitoma]

I'm a second-year student studying Philosophy (+ studied Law before) and when I saw the notification that you're discussing the trolley problem I rolled my eyes because the disciplines that I don't like are the ones concerning ethics (or from my program at least - introduction to ethics and ethical teories, which discuss Kant and utilitarianism). Given this context, I'm thanking and I'm grateful to Mani for doing what my professors haven't done, which is (1) present not just the trolley problem and another scenario, but multiple, which can be considered similar, but bring up other philosophical problems, depending on the answers and (2) make me despise less this area because of how he explained it. BRAVO!

[@Emma-sj8tn]

I remember this from The Good Place!! ☺️💕

[@natalieredmond7326]

in theory, if you pull the lever then you are a murderer, but if you don't pull the lever, then you do not technically have responsibility

[@akkarvonen4224]

Natalie Redmond That’s my reasoning as well.

[@tamaradimarco878]

I was just about to write this

[@aaliyahanjorin1953]

but that creates another argument - if you see something bad/negative happening and had the capacity to stop it but don't, you must take some form of responsibilty as you could have fundamentally changed the course of action.

[@felicity1864]

In the same way, is it possible to just think that this is what was meant to happen to these people on this day? Interacting would actively kill someone whereas leaving it would let fate play out.

[@natalieredmond7326]

@@felicity1864 yeah I agree. What is meant to be will be! I would not pull the lever... But I would pay my respects to who died, I would be a bystander but I would be the one to buy flowers.

[@engineeringbookisha]

I would probably panic and scream

[@ThisIsMani]

I hope you guys have enjoyed this video - I really enjoyed making it! 💛💛💛 It's so amazing being able to hear your take on the problem!

[@elenhpapa3842]

Amazing video really! Very interesting content . Giving examples was really helpful

[@katiep3521]

this is definitely my favourite video so far :)

[@thestudytubeproject5210]

That means so much! 💛💛💛

[@aliabdaal]

that was v interesting

[@ameliazawadzka238]

Hey Mani!! This is so interesting, could you talk more about the connection between Philosophy and CS?

[@asra2441]

i wanna do physics and philosophy at undergrad level in (dont know how thats gonna go given the virus but) !! this is going to be interesting yay

[@Zoe_t1]

Philosophy would definitely just make me over think everything and cry 😭😂

[@olanuvola]

The Trolley Problem is my favorite problem. Honestly, I love talking discussing it in different contexts. So happy to see a video about it on this channel!

[@frederique4383]

So interesting! Philosophy is something I've always been interested in but never considered as a uni course etc. More videos like this would be amazing!

[@nyahchamberlain]

I study alevel philosophy and ethics and this question gets posed quite a lot, I always love to hear different peoples thoughts about it, and how everyone approaches these questions. Love these types of videos

[@caitlinm5675]

This was really interesting. Its always a given that there is a greater value attached to many lives than there is to one but when you gave the hospital scenario and how it ultimately comes down to intentions and the dilemma at hand was really eye opening. Thank you for this!

[@holly3383]

I can’t wait for more philosophy videos!!

[@colettefrerichs4399]

i love how deep and from different angels you can look at the problems that philosophy and the real world provides for us. If you take in to account the different ways philospohers have developed theories about this makes it an even more interesting thing to look at. I love to pick different theories apart or see how they match (mostly because of school) just because the different views are always arguable even if it is the theory that you believe is best!

[@MM-yt2tc]

loving the videos so far!

[@haidian1322]

Hi! Very interesting topic! I'm a History Master's student and I'm working on a paper about regular german men that were unexpectedly involved in the Holocaust and why they acted the way they did. And this gave me some perspectives that can be applied here. See, on the first case, the thing that performs the act of killing is actually the trolley, not the human. That gives the person a distancing feeling from the problem. This person did not create the problem, he/she found it and has a decision to make, but ultimately, he/she is not responsible for the outcome. But in the hospital, nothing is threating the life of the healthy person, and so if the doctor decides to kill him to help the other patients, he/she will actively becoming a murderer. Even if both situations end with people dying, the level of responsability that we get from it can completely change our behaviour. And this is only one factor I could argue, but I don't wanna make this too long. Great video!!

[@coralineduval5540]

Hai Dian read hannah arendt book too it talks about that subject

[@haidian1322]

@@coralineduval5540 Hi! Do you mean "Eichmann in Jerusalem"? I have that one on my tbr list, but if you mean a different one, I'l check it out too. Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@charlottecooper5599]

Aw this is a throwback to a level philosophy! I love it 🥰

[@reachforthestaaars]

For anyone enjoyed this and wants to learn more I’d recommend “Justice: What’s the right thing to do?” by Micheal Sandel. There’s a lecture series on KZbin and also a book. Really interesting!😊

[@charlottecooper5599]

reachforthestaaars thank youuuu

[@AlodiaEteniaPetrichor]

Found you through Vee, I know NOTHING about Philosophy but am fascinated by how engaging you are.

[@kripaisseri2824]

"I'll pull the 'path'!" 😂

[@ayas186]

WOW I have never think of it that way. I mean the choice is kind of automatically easy (5 persons over 1) but what lies beneath turn to be so deep ! how interesting is philosophy

[@lancebaldi9548]

Loving the content!

[@engineeringbookisha]

I'm soooooo proud of ya'll 😭

[@lottiecooke3800]

Love this!!

[@moonaa7354]

Aw I loved this! This was so interesting

[@phoebebear3239]

This was so interesting! Please do more videos on philosophy and ethics

[@carlotadenovales307]

Hey Mani! I loved this video!! I'm increasingly becoming very interested in ethics and I was wondering whether you could recommend me some readings? i hope self-isolation is going well x

[@TheWieldofrost]

If we allow people to sacrifice 1 life over 5 lives, we are already trending on dangerous path. In the game The Last of Us 1, people are living in a zombie apocalypse. A group named the Fireflies could potentially find a way to end the apocalypse, but they will have to perform brain surgery on a girl named Ellie, ultimately killing her. What did the Fireflies do? They drugged her to sleep so *she would never get to have a say*, and proceeded on the surgery. Joel, a father figure to Ellie, knew everything, decided to save Ellie, and killed most of the Fireflies, including the doctor who had the medical knowledge. Some players think Joel is the villain because he values Ellie over humanity, while some think Joel does the most human thing that anyone would do the same. I feel that we sanctioned human sacrifice, people would find ways to twist things in a way so people can kill without serious consequences. I know The Trolley Problem wants people to think about those situations in a fundamental level and rule out other factors, but I don't think people consider the act of pulling the lever(unfortunate consequence of killing 1 to save 5) and taking organs(actively killing 1 to save 5) the same, hence why people decide differently.

[@DizzyShadow35]

this is really making me think! super interesting, Thank you!!

[@luisa-zoe6493]

This was very interesting! Thank you xx

[@alliediallo1945]

I really found this very interesting... Would like to learn more about ethics! Thanks for this video

[@blinkinyourarea244]

Whenever i hear of these problems, I always delve into what else could happen XD

[@engineeringbookisha]

This is sooooo interesting

[@sophiaw5309]

What if we can programme cars to allow drivers to choose between both? So when an emergency happens, the car reverts back into manual, so the decision ultimately lies on the driver? Or what if the car can be programmed with those 2 functions and the driver before using the car must choose one function (which will make the driver the judge of such moral questions?)

[@ItsSofie123]

Im so glad im not the only one thinking about the good place😂

[@ronaldwong6092]

All levers have padlocks, just yell Trolley, Trolley at all 6. Only if there is a red dot on his driver licence.All self driving cars have a driver in the driver seat.

[@lenkachladkova1762]

Thank you, Chidi.

[@a.h.5113]

This is so cool

[@phantomphoenix3283]

EVERYTHING is relevant somehow! (I don’t even have to know how!) I love this video. My brain cells are getting more exercise than any other part of my body. 😂

[@KylesBestvideos]

Would be more interested in hearing about your Computer Science knowledge in your next studytube project appearance!

[@arwa1452]

I now know what I’ll be doing during this time. I’ve always been interested in ethics and philosophy. I want to start reading more about it. Any suggestions of how to start?

[@amiramehr364]

If you're interested in the trolley problem, try Philippa Foot's text on the Doctrine of the Double Effect maybe

[@noramcnabb1361]

My family actually just got the game trial by trolley it’s a lot of fun

[@cajesnoli5493]

Imagine you are driving a car with a malfunction brake and with a speed of 120 km/h. In the distance, you spot some students who are crossing the pedestrian lane. Even if they do spot your car coming, they won’t be able to react and avoid the collision in time. When you realize what is going to happen, you observe that there are four students on the right lane of the road and there is only one student on the left lane of the road. Would you avoid the four students to save one student or vice versa? A. In the light of Natural Law Ethics, lists at least five things that you want to consider in this kind of situation before you decide and act. It must be in order according to importance/significance. (50 pts) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Etc. B. Would you avoid the four students to save one student or vice versa? Present your arguments/reasons. Minimum of 3 arguments. (50 pts) 1. 2. 3. C. Is your decision and/or action morally justifiable? Explain, elaborate, or expound your answer? (50 pts) Note: Again, understand the situation and the questions based on the standpoint of Natural Law Ethics.

[@amye3239]

why did i click on this video thinking it was going to be about supermarket trolleys

[@catherine5128]

Oh hi Chidi

[@ffionphillips7557]

Catherine I have a stomach ache

[@AthayaProject]

What if I sacrifice myself? That'll stop the train even before it reaches the two tracks. Pulling the lever isn't the solution but having something noticable to alarm the conductor to stop the train.

[@yeehaw8835]

something I find interesting is that I very much relate to utilitarianism in many contexts, probably because I have autism and am programmed to think really "logically" even in the hospital scenario because the effect is had ultimately ? idk maybe that defies the point of the problem but like yeah do yo think it relates ?

[@someonespadre]

Throw the switch halfway derailing the trolley saving all the lives.

[@JohnFisherChoir]

There is a further problem with appealing to the moral distinction intending and foreseeing to show why it's permissible to switch the trolley but wrong to kill the one to harvest his organs. It's called Gas Case: suppose you can save the five patients from dying by releasing a gas into the room they are in. However, the gas will leak into the next room and kill an innocent person. In this case, the single person's death is also merely foreseen as in the original trolley case, yet it seems wrong to release the gas.

[@kira9859]

Scrolling through the comments to find the good place references

[@beyza4405]

the good place :))

[@studywithphoebe9191]

Amazing video, the trolley problem is my favourite! But, I always irritate my ethics / philosophy teacher because I don’t like utilitarianism... sorry not sorry Bentham. So, I always say I would chose not to touch the lever, leave it without my intervention. My teacher isn’t a fan of my answer 😂

[@abbiepaterson2156]

I kind of agree! I think I'd yell though to try to get the people to move away.

[@europebasedvlogs1251]

Hey Mani what are your thoughts on Sikhism? I find some religions really traditional and don't know why I feel they don't work Anymore. Please argue with your view.

[@mickb.8925]

Vscauce made an experiment to see what people actually choose when presented with the trolley project in real life, not just in theory. Obviously it was a simulation, but the participants believed it was real. Here's that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6TPZn6Aa56kn6M

[@mirnash1303]

You know what? We, human beings, are all so complicated with the way we think and take actions, so for example I might be thinking of something but never act on it, like knowing in your brain that your answer is wrong and yet not changing it because you wouldn't act to what you are thinking, as a result of not trusting your own thinking brain, which is quite ridiculous even though it happens! And to be honest, after watching this video and seeing how there are many elements that we have think of in half a second to make a decision, it baffles me how some mathematic equations succeed in predicting what we human beings, might think and act on, depending on numbers and majorities.... For example the love equations and the probability of divorce equations.

[@haroon23tt55]

Hiii.

[@thestudytubeproject5210]

HIIII

[@haroon23tt55]

The StudyTube Project 🤗

[@sophiependragon8485]

I heard once another version of the same problem. In one side of the railway there were five people, but in the other side, a baby. What would you choose in that case: to save five lives and to kill the baby, or to kill five people and save the baby?

[@kesenex2883]

why not just derail the trolley by wedging the switch half open to both tracks

[@taslimasheikh4036]

Kantian Ethics?

[@mellomell7269]

I chose to save the one person and not to sacrifice the healthy person!

[@studlord9970]

If the one person had a gun, would they be justified in shooting you to prevent you from throwing the switch?

[@NIX5Cents]

I’d do nothing! Not up to me! What if the trolly jumped the track & missed the 5? You can never know, so you do Nothing. Most people nowadays would just pull out their phones 📱 & record whatever outcome…

[@lily_littleangel]

I personally find the trolley problem to be an absolute joke and I can't take it seriously. Also... Trams have a horn??? Which has the express purpose of communicating with others from a distance, like I don't know... Warning people that you're coming and they might collide with you?!

[@Google_Censored_Commenter]

You kinda messed up the intention side of the argument. The argument isn't that it matters whether you, or the racist pulls the lever. He could be hitler as far as I'm concerned, and it would still be morally right to (or not to) pull the lever. Why the intentions matter is because intentions tell us what their future actions are going to be. So if they end up in a trolley problem where the person they are prejudiced against is among the 5, they'll choose to let those 5 die instead. The intentions matter because they tell us what they are consistently going to do, if unimpeded by external forces or luck.