The Trolley Problem: A Crash Course on the Basics of Ethical Thinking
In this one-session class, students will learn about the trolley problem. In doing so, they'll practice the skills of reflecting on ethical questions and of working with thought experiments in philosophy. Let's get trolley-ing!
Harry Chalmers, Ph.D.
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(2)
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Beginner Level
Few thought experiments in ethics have become as widely known—and as challenging to solve—as trolley problems. What at first seems like a simple series of imagined cases about a runaway trolley comes to raise profound questions about life, death, intention, actions, omissions, and more. In this session, students will be introduced to the trolley problem and the ethical questions it raises. More broadly, students will practice their skills at working with thought experiments, including using thought experiments both to support and to challenge ethical principles. In this way, the class session will be an introduction to some of the foundational skills of ethical thinking.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Like many thought experiments philosophers have come up with, trolley problems can be a bit morbid. Delving into the trolley problem inevitably involves discussing a runaway trolley that, alas, must run over some group of individuals or other who are haplessly tied to either of the two tracks ahead. The class also involves discussing a well-known variant of the standard trolley case, a variant in which one must consider whether to push a fat man onto the tracks (so that his body will stop the trolley, thereby saving the people who are tied down). (While some philosophers have recently questioned the sensitivity of this latter thought experiment, it has, over several decades, undeniably become an important part of the scholarly literature on the trolley problem, such that I feel that educator responsibility in introducing the trolley problem requires discussing it.)
I will not sensationalize trolley problems' morbidity or go into graphic detail. But those who are uncomfortable at discussion of thought experiments that involve people being run over by trolleys should probably find a different class.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The slide images of trolley problem scenarios come from David Edmonds's book *Would You Kill the Fat Man?*
Joined April, 2024
5.0
2reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Doctoral Degree from Brown University
Bachelor's Degree from Centre College
Alas, I must report that my qualifications on this subject do not include lived experience. That is, I've never come across a runaway trolley and had to choose whether to redirect it, nor have I been run over by a trolley myself.
However, I do have a Ph.D. in philosophy, and I've taught the trolley problem in various introductory ethics classes for both high schoolers and college students. Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$10
per classMeets once
50 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
2-12 learners per class
