Exploring the collision between moral intuition and logical consequence.
The runaway trolley is the classic entry point into moral philosophy. It strips away the complexity of real life to force a binary choice. To act, or not to act?
"Five workers are on the track. One is on the side track. You have the lever."
Locates morality in the consequences of an act. The state of the world following the act is what matters.
"Better that 5 live and 1 die."
Locates morality in certain duties and rights. Some things are just wrong, even if they bring about a good result.
"It is wrong to kill an innocent person."