The trolley thought experiment is an example that uses violence to create more violence. Let me demonstrate how.
From Wikipedia:
Imagine the following:
An unstoppable trolley is moving along a set of railroad tracks.
Ahead, there is a switch leading to two pairs of tracks. Past the switch are two tracks:
Tracks 1: This is the default route if no action is taken. Five people are tied to the tracks and cannot move. If the trolley takes this route these five people will surely die.
Track 2: The trolley takes this route if and only if the switch is activated. One person is tied to the tracks. If the trolley takes this route this person will surely die.
Usually this problem is given with some stipulations:
- The participant being invited to engage with this imagined scenario must make a choice.
- There will be death.
- An ethical problem is present.
I’d like to invite a few adjacent questions:
How much violence is used on the participant to force compliance with taking the responsibility implied in this thought problem
“You must do something.”
Why do we feel compelled to engage?
This can devolve into, “Well, if you do nothing those five people die and it will be your fault.”
… Notice there is some gaslighting there. Notice the guilt-trip. Notice the way the participant is asked to engage involves violence.
“This is your fault.” Did you build the trolley? The switch? The tracks? Tie people to the rails? Did you lead a bystander with no involvement to a switch? Tell them they must do something?
“You are now involved.” In the abuse literature this would be forced teaming. Forced teaming is along the lines of “Now that we are in this, together, you might as well participate.”
Forced teaming is another compliance tool.
Violence usually involves force to gain compliance, in this case compliance with engaging in the problem.
I’d invite the reader to go “Oh, sorry. I don’t engage with violent thought problems.”
Notice how the problem is designed. It contains a high amount of surreality, situations that cannot be real.
So many stipulations to attempt to force compliance:
- It can’t be stopped
- It happens regardless
- The trolley can’t control itself
- These are the only choices
- Someone must die
- “Everyone knows what the right choice is”
- “You know what you have to do”
Real-life situations are rarely either-or. If a problem appears either-or, I’d invite you to do some more brainstorming to think of another solution.
If someone says “you must comply” know … what they are really saying is “I hope you don’t recognize you have a choice to say no, and walk away.”
We can avoid a lot of suffering by choosing to not participate.
v1.1 - Last edit 8-July-2024
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