this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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Having skimmed the original paper about the trolley problem, I think what the author was trying to illustrate was the difference between direct and indirect harm.
If you redirect the trolley, you're not trying to kill the man on the other track. You're trying to save the five on the first track by directing the trolley away from them. While the other man may die because of this, there's always the possibility he'll escape on his own.
Whereas if the judge sentences an innocent man to death, that is choosing to kill him. The innocent man MUST die for the outcome the judge intends. So there's culpability that doesn't exist in the trolley scenario.
In one case you're accepting a bad outcome for one person as a side effect, in the other you're pursuing it as a necessary step.