Singer compares philanthropy to a Trolley Problem. There’s a set of train tracks, which a child is lying on, and a train is fast approaching. You’re driving a luxury car, and if you drive the car on the tracks, the train will run into the car and save the child. What should you do?
I think the Trolley Problem is a different one that involves taking pulling a switch that will send the trolley running over one person but save the five passengers, or similar. In other words, whether you let 5 people perish through inaction or take action to kill one and save 5.
This is different in that it’s a tradeoff between a possession and a life, not 5 lives and 1 life. I don’t know that this problem has a name… the sportscar problem?
I’d be interested in a direct reference for this—the linked paper doesn’t even mention the word trolley anywhere. It is technically a trolley problem, but it’s not a terribly interesting one; the variants I’ve read Singer propose in the past (e.g., sacrificing yourself to save five children) are usually more interesting.
Upvoted for #4.
Is that… really what Singer calls it? Why?
I think the Trolley Problem is a different one that involves taking pulling a switch that will send the trolley running over one person but save the five passengers, or similar. In other words, whether you let 5 people perish through inaction or take action to kill one and save 5.
This is different in that it’s a tradeoff between a possession and a life, not 5 lives and 1 life. I don’t know that this problem has a name… the sportscar problem?
That’s the source of my confusion: there’s already something else out there called the Trolley Problem, and this is not it.
I don’t think it is; the OP got confused.
I’d be interested in a direct reference for this—the linked paper doesn’t even mention the word trolley anywhere. It is technically a trolley problem, but it’s not a terribly interesting one; the variants I’ve read Singer propose in the past (e.g., sacrificing yourself to save five children) are usually more interesting.