The Trolley Problem and the Value of Intuitions as Proof Cover Image

Problem troleja i vrijednost intuicija kao dokaza
The Trolley Problem and the Value of Intuitions as Proof

Author(s): Linda Maraš Krapić
Subject(s): Epistemology, Logic, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, German Idealism, Analytic Philosophy
Published by: Hrvatsko Filozofsko Društvo
Keywords: trolley problem; utilitarianism; intuitive moral judgements; coherence; reflective equilibrium;

Summary/Abstract: In this article, I will discuss a moral dilemma known as the “trolley problem”, developed for the purpose of finding an answer to whether the idea of saving five people by sacrificing one innocent person can be justified. Is it possible that current research in neuroscience can shape our moral preferences? Can this view be justified outside the utilitarian theoretical conception? Considering the role of intuitive moral judgement in the context of this issue, we can say that intuitions can be thought of as being regulatory principles for achieving a coherence between deliberative moral judgements and general principles, i.e. reflective equilibrium, even though they cannot serve as empirical evidence in science. I conclude this essay with a basic idea that there is no moral justification for killing an innocent human being.

  • Issue Year: 36/2016
  • Issue No: 01/141
  • Page Range: 155-166
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Croatian