Mogollon 1

Paola Mogollon

PHI-2600-31854

Dr. Ernesto O. Hernández

June 1, 2021

The Trolley Problem: Comparison

According to the Merriam-Webster webpage, the trolley problem is “a thought experiment in ethics about a fictional scenario in which an onlooker has the choice to save five people in danger of being hit by a trolley, by diverting the trolley to kill just one person.” The controversy about this experiment is to decide either to kill one worker and keep alive five workers or vice versa. The Trolley Problem helps to evaluate the effects of a decision and determine what the best choice is. Of course, the current covid-19 pandemic has been a perfect scenario to apply the trolley problem. The Trolley Problem is related to the effects of the pandemic in our lives and the current debates about the pandemic in different aspects.

In my opinion, the pandemic podcast is related to the trolley problem in two aspects. First, the trolley problem is an exercise of choosing one of two “bad” options. While relating my story before and after the pandemic, you would notice that the word and action “moving” has been something common for my family and me during the last three years. Of course, this decision is not easy because it drastically changes in a bad or good way our life. Then, my parents have decided what is better for our family. Secondly, the video shows the outcomes of our possible decision. When my parent chose to immigrate to the United States, they knew that the consequences would be better than staying in Venezuela. The United States has offered us many opportunities to grow as human beings and as a family. For example, I work and study at the same time. Also, thanks to my work, I bought my first car. In contrast to the effects of staying in Venezuela. For instance, I could not work and study simultaneously since the culture does not allow it or make it difficult. Also, buying a car is almost impossible since the salary is not enough even to save money.

After watching the video about the trolley problem, I can say that it relates to the essay “Good Reasons to Vaccinate: Mandatory or Payment for Risk.” The first issue showed in the video was the decision between the five or one workers. When the pandemic started, this situation was represented in the creation of the vaccine. Later, for the approval of the vaccine, it must be tried on people or animals. For consequence, many people or animals die or suffer the effects of the vaccine. This part is the consequence of the decision, as we saw in the video. Finally, the video explains that people will keep what is better for the majority, so must people normalize sacrificing others for the general well-being. Now, the vaccine is already proved, and many people are vaccinated.

In conclusion, the trolley problem is an experiment quickly applied in both situations: The Pandemic Podcast and the essay “Good Reasons to Vaccinate: Mandatory or Payment for Risk.” The main relation I found between the trolley problem and the pandemic podcast was difficult to decide that would affect your future in a bad or good way. The best example I would compare this part is with the determination that my parents had to immigrated to the United States, knowing the effect it would have. Moreover, the second connection I found with the trolley problem was with the vaccination essay. The creation process was a good example to show how the trolley problem works in this scenario. People and animals sacrificed themselves for the well-being of society. The trolley problem should be better known and explained, especially to children, because, in my opinion, it gives a very realistic perspective of the power of our decisions and their consequences. I wish I had known this experiment before because it would have been of much use!

Sources

Merriam-Webster. “What Is the ‘Trolley Problem?’.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/trolley-problem-moral-philosophy-ethics.

Savulescu, Julian. Good Reasons to Vaccinate: Mandatory or Payment for Risk? January, 2021.

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