In the Trolley Dilemma, Participants Must Decide Whether to Flip

question 6

Multiple Choice

In the trolley dilemma, participants must decide whether to flip a switch that will divert a trolley, saving five people's live but killing one person. In the footbridge dilemma, participants must decide whether to push a large wrestler into the path of a trolley, killing that wrestler but saving the lives of five people who would otherwise have been hit. When researchers compare participants' responses to these two dilemmas, what do they find?

• A) Nearly all people are unwilling to take an action that will take a life, even though it will save five others, regardless of the scenario.
• B) Most people are willing to take the action that will save five lives despite killing one person, in both the trolley and the footbridge scenario.
• C) Most people are more hesitant to flip the switch than they are to push the wrestler into the trolley's path, although they have the same effect.
• D) Most people are more hesitant to push the wrestler into the trolley's path than they are to flip the switch, although they have the same effect.

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Definitions:

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Individuals employed to sell products or services to customers, often working on commission and responsible for meeting sales targets.

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