trolley problem

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English

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Etymology

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Coined by American philosopher Judith Thomson.

Noun

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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.
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See also

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Further reading

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