Would you Kill One Person to Let Five Live?

BY: DAVE MCGINN

      A study conducted by The University of Michigan revealed that most people would kill one person in order to save five others. The situation used in the study is the classic “trolley problem”; it is a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. The basic outline is a trolley goes out of control and is headed towards five people tied to the tracks. You are operating the train and have the choice to let the train continue on its path or pull the lever which puts it on a path where a single person is tied down, what path do you choose. “Study participants were put in a three-dimensional simulator that put them behind the wheel” about ninety percent chose to pull the lever. This experiment has been performed before yet this time it was published in the journal of emotion, which is a first for the dilemma. The participants had sensors attached to their fingertips to monitor emotional arousal. 133 out of 147 participants pulled the leaver which leaves fourteen that did not. Of them, three pulled the leaver to begin with and then put it back to its original position. The individuals that chose not to pull the leaver were found to be more emotionally aroused and were found to not pull the switch possibly because of their heightened anxiety of the situation. Dr. Navarrete concluded, “By rational thinking we can sometimes override it – by thinking about the people we will save, for example. But for some people, that increase in anxiety may be so overpowering that they don’t make the utilitarian choice, the choice for the greater good.” What would you do, pull the leaver or leave it? 

When I first think of the situation, would I pull the leaver or leave it I would say that I would pull it. However if you have the time to think about decisions you have to make you would probably do many things differently. For me it is easy to understand why some of the participants in the study didn’t pull the leaver. When you are under that much stress and pressure it is difficult to make decisions, but most people react impulsively and would pull the switch without even think about it. There is a part of our brains called the amygdala that is underneath the prefrontal cortex. When you encounter a situation of extreme stress the pre-frontal cortex flips up and your amygdala takes charge. It is able to make decisions without thinking about them, natural reactions. This is why most people in the situation would pull the leaver. The individuals that didn’t pull the leaver were very nervous and had very high anxiety. It is easy to say what you would do ahead of time but in the actual situation your actions are often different.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/would-you-kill-one-person-to-let-five-live/article2258174/