#1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"

[Homeless Nutter]

Imagine that you’re at the controls of a railway switch and there’s an out-of-control trolley coming. The tracks branch into two, one track that leads to a group of five people, and the other to one person. If you do nothing, the trolley will smash into the five people. But if you flip the switch, it’ll change tracks and strike the lone person. What do you do?

Since I'm at the controls and I'm fully aware of what the results of pulling the switch will be - that must mean that I'm somehow qualified to operate it and probably have some level of responsibility, regarding safety of people on and around the tracks. If I haven't been briefed on how to deal with this sort of situation during my training - that seems like a major oversight. I'll be sure to ask about this, if I'm ever applying for a job like that.

I'd probably throw the switch, to minimize casualties - because now only the family of one victim is likely to sue me for my actions, instead of five. And then I'd sue my employer. For emotional damage. 

A second variation of the problem involves a “fat man” and no second track — a man so large that, if you were to push him onto the tracks, his body would prevent the trolley from smashing into the group of five. So what do you do? Nothing? Or push him onto the tracks?

Well, that's a completely different situation - I'm just some dude, standing around. No one ever will blame me for not having pushed a fat person onto a track. 

Also pushing heavy people is probably harder than it sounds - there's a good chance I'll only manage to enrage the fatty, or get dragged onto the track with him/her. And even if I succeed - if there are witnesses around me - they'll probably want to lynch me, before I can explain, that I just saved a bunch of people further down the tracks.

And while the Fatty family will most likely sue me - regardless of my potential criminal trial - I'll have no one to push the responsibility onto. 

Don't get me wrong - I'd still do it, but only because I hate fat people...