A runaway trolley is heading toward 5 people. You can pull a lever to divert it — but it will kill 1 person instead.
1 votes worldwide
Results based on anonymous votes from users worldwide.
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The trolley problem is less a question about saving more lives than about who gets to decide which death is acceptable. Both options end in deaths you didn't cause and can't undo — the choice is between letting events run their course and inserting your own hand into the chain of causation.
Why people split
For some, refusing to act is a way of refusing authorship over the death of a stranger; the five who die aren't 'your' deaths because you didn't initiate the chain. For others, declining to act when you could is its own kind of authorship — inaction is a choice with consequences.
Educational perspective, not professional advice.
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What the split says
With 100% choosing “Pull the lever. Save 5, sacrifice 1” (1 total votes), this result leans toward consistency with one rule among SplitVote voters. That does not make that option correct; it shows which cost they are currently more willing to accept.
Worth asking yourself
- Is the principle worth the concrete cost?
- What cost are you more willing to accept?