Question

Suppose you are the driver of a trolley. The trolley rounds a bend, and there come into view agead five track workmen, who have been repairing the track. The track goes through a bit of a valely at that point, and the sides are steep, so you must stop the trolley if you are to avoid running the five men down. You step on the brakes, but alas they don't work. Now you suddenly see a spur of track leading off to the right. You can turn the trolley onto it, and save the five men on the straight track ahead. Unfortunately, Mrs. Foot has arranged that there is one track workman on that spur of track. He can no more get off the track in time than the five can, so you will kill him if you turn the trolley onto him.

The Doctrine of Double Effect 4 Criteria:
1. The action is inherently either morally good or morally neutral
2.The bad effect is not used to produce the good effect (though the bad may be a side effect of the good).
3.The intention must always be to bring about the good effect.
4.The good effect must be at least as important as the bad effect.

Explain what the doctrine of double effect would say about turning the wheel in the Trolley Problem example. Does the doctrine of double effect permit it? Explain by applying each of the 4 criteria of the doctrine of double effect to this case where you turn the wheel.

Answer 1

According to the doctrine of double effect, it is ethically acceptable to turn the wheel onto the man to save the five men. According to the doctrine, if doing something morally good (saving the five men) has a morally bad side-effect, it's ethically justified to do it providing the bad side-effect (killing the one man) wasn't intended. This principle holds true even if one foresaw that the bad effect would probably happen. In this scenario, it is easy to see that saving the lives of five men is inherently morally good, and that the one man being killed in the process is an unfortunate side effect of the former action.