Assume that you’re the only person who can pull the lever in time, and it wouldn’t be difficult or costly for you to do so. If your answer still depends on whether or not you work for the trolley company, you are different from most people, and should explain both cases explicitly.
If so, what are its standard operating procedures for this situation?
Either there are none, or you’re actually not in the situation above, but creating those procedures right now.
What would my family think?
I don’t know, maybe you have an idea.
Would either decision affect my future job prospects?
No.
Is there a way for me to fix the systemic problem of trolleys crashing in thought experiments?
Assume that you’re the only person who can pull the lever in time, and it wouldn’t be difficult or costly for you to do so. If your answer still depends on whether or not you work for the trolley company, you are different from most (WEIRD) people, and should explain both cases explicitly.
If I don’t work for the trolley company then I shouldn’t touch the equipment because uninvited non-specialists messing with heavy machinery is dangerous (some special circumstances excepted) and disruptive. It makes the world less safe. Since I’m not pulling the lever, I have my hands free to film the trolley crash. This is my most likely path to systemic change. It causes the least harm and protects the most people.
If I do work for the trolley company then I should pull the lever because my obligation to protect the many passengers in the trolley doing exactly what they’re supposed to outweighs my obligation to protect a single idiot playing on the tracks. (He’s probably not a worker who’s supposed to be there because if he was I would know who he is and you specified that I don’t.)
Current year.
Near a trolley track.
Yourself.
You don’t know.
You don’t know.
You don’t know.
You don’t know.
Assume that you’re the only person who can pull the lever in time, and it wouldn’t be difficult or costly for you to do so. If your answer still depends on whether or not you work for the trolley company, you are different from most people, and should explain both cases explicitly.
Either there are none, or you’re actually not in the situation above, but creating those procedures right now.
I don’t know, maybe you have an idea.
No.
Maybe, but not before the trolley crashes.
Yes.
If I don’t work for the trolley company then I shouldn’t touch the equipment because uninvited non-specialists messing with heavy machinery is dangerous (some special circumstances excepted) and disruptive. It makes the world less safe. Since I’m not pulling the lever, I have my hands free to film the trolley crash. This is my most likely path to systemic change. It causes the least harm and protects the most people.
If I do work for the trolley company then I should pull the lever because my obligation to protect the many passengers in the trolley doing exactly what they’re supposed to outweighs my obligation to protect a single idiot playing on the tracks. (He’s probably not a worker who’s supposed to be there because if he was I would know who he is and you specified that I don’t.)
In most formulations, the five people are on the track ahead, not in the trolley.
I took a look at the course you mentioned:
It looks like I got some of the answers wrong.
In the trolley. You, personally, are not in immediate danger.
A trolley driver.
You are. No one in the trolley is in danger.
Five workers ahead, one to the right.
Yes.
The problem was not as poorly specified as you implied it to be.