ETHICAL REASONING

In ethical reasoning, the Trolley Problem is an excellent example of what most people find to be ethical and unethical. Unfortunately, there is really no right answer. However, the most common answers to the two Trolley Scenarios are: it is ethical to pull the lever, but it is unethical to push the very large person.

In the scenario of having to pull the level and kill one person verses killing five people, most people’s reaction is to pull the level. This was also my reaction. The ethical reasoning behind this is based on the Teleological or Consequentialist principles, which focuses on the outcome or end result of a decision (Fritzsche, 2005). Whether a person acted in a morally right or wrong way depends solely upon the consequences of the act. In this scenario, more people benefited from the action because their lives were saved, thereby making it ethical based on the teleological or consequentialist principles.

In the scenario of having to push the very large person and killing one person verses killing five