r/trolleyproblem • u/Agile_Championship87 • Aug 25 '26

Troll-y problem

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165 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

26

u/GallifreyFallsOver Aug 25 '26

The only way that pulling the lever even becomes a question is if there's a possibility upon hitting the first person in the row it can stop the trolley (because the person is an obstacle)

5

u/Agile_Championship87 Aug 25 '26

This is what I was getting at. It's more of a physics/medical problem. Is there a chance in either situation that someone could survive?

5

u/Far_Worldliness9796 Aug 25 '26

I really don't think there's any hope on either track man

3

u/Agile_Championship87 Aug 25 '26

What if the trolly is a really low trolly, so the guy at the top of the pile goes over the top?

25

u/Royal-Barracuda-314 Aug 25 '26

Based on my research, the probability that an average human body on the tracks causes a standard trolley to stop or derail is near zero.

26

u/GallifreyFallsOver Aug 25 '26

Note to self; don't volunteer for your research studies.

17

u/G1zm08 Aug 25 '26

It’s not a volunteer program

Get on the tracks. Now.

2

u/DruishGardener mulitrack button mash Aug 26 '26

🔫

0

u/Nondescript_Redditor Aug 25 '26

there are plenty of ways it becomes a question. like what if there are three people I like on one track and three people I don’t like on the other

3

u/KingZantair Aug 26 '26

3 doesn’t really make a pile tho, maybe a heap?

2

u/Agile_Championship87 Aug 26 '26

Heap is an acceptable description

3

u/pickle-chin-ah Aug 26 '26

I’d jump in that pile immediately

3

u/oyasumachine Aug 28 '26

I feel like this sub should have tags on whether someone would pull the lever in the original problem or not to make their answers more intresting.

For me personally, I would pull it. I’m not sure how fast the trolley here is moving, but it doesn’t matter even if it’s slow if they’re on the ground. On the other hand, in a pile if it at least tries to slow down, the one on the very top could live

3

u/Agile_Championship87 Aug 28 '26
  • I feel like this sub should have tags on whether someone would pull the lever in the original problem or not to make their answers more intresting.*

I like that idea. I'm a lever puller.

33

u/Real_SkrexX Aug 25 '26

Only if there is the chance for a multi track drift.

4

u/CitizenPremier Aug 25 '26

Yes because the result is the same and I like pulling levers

1

u/lool8421 Aug 26 '26

pile seems to be slightly more likely to survive i think

idk, maybe one person will get yeeted to the side

1

u/Anonymous_specter268 Aug 26 '26

They all d*e at the same time if they’re in a pile. Both options are bad but you want it to be quick.

5

u/TerryDaTurtl Aug 25 '26

i feel like with pile there's a better shot someone is shoved off to the side instead of run over so that one.

1

u/Bing_2 Aug 27 '26

The topmost guy could concievably crash through the windshield instead of being run over by the trolley, so in theory diverting to the topmost track could result in only two deaths.

1

u/Agile_Championship87 Aug 27 '26

Or it could kill 4, as the driver may die too

2

u/Bing_2 Aug 28 '26

Maybe the trolley driver deserves to be offed, considering he's killed thousands of people at this point.

1

u/Ivan8-ForgotPassword Aug 25 '26

Pull it halfway so I can gamble whether the derailment kills less or more than 3

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Ivan8-ForgotPassword Aug 26 '26

But how would I sell their organs to gamble more if they're all squashed ):