Advanced Certificate in General English

E-learning Component

Unit 2

Moral dilemmas: the trolley problem

There are two short videos for this topic. The first one should be fairly easy to understand and introduces the well-known moral dilemma, 'the trolley problem'. The second one is more challenging (but has subtitles) and discusses this and other moral dilemmas.

Source material:
(1) The Trolley Problem (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs0E69krO_Q
(2) Would You Kill Baby Hitler? (And Other Psychopathic Musings, with Kevin Dutton) (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDVvYzEdp_s

Watch the video and answer the questions below

1  Comprehension 1

Watch the first video 'The Trolley Problem' and decide if the statements below are true or false/

(Note, the word trolley in American English can mean tram.)

1.  In the first problem, it's impossible to avoid killing at least one person.

True. At least one person dies.

2.  You are powerless to decide how many people die.

False. You can choose whether one or four people die.

3.  Most people would choose to pull the lever and divert the trolley.

True.

4.  The fat man can stop the trolley with his body.

True. In this example, we have to accept that this is true.

5.  In the second problem, most people choose to kill four people rather than one.

True. Most people are unable to push the fat man over the bridge.

2  Comprehension 2

Now watch the second video and decide if the following statements are true or false.

Note – there are subtitles available for this video. Click the captions icon at the bottom right of the YouTube screen and choose 'On'.

  1. Research shows that the people who choose to push the fat man over the bridge are crazy.

False. They are utilitarians and have the positive quality of being able to get the job done.

  1. The presenter has asked psychopaths their reaction to the dilemma about the surgeon.

True.

  1. In this dilemma, the surgeon needs different organs to transplant into five different patients.

True.

  1. A young traveller volunteers to donate some of his organs.

False. He has come for a regular check-up.

  1. Most ordinary people would not agree to take kill the traveller.

True.

  1. Psychopathic killers want to kill the traveller simply because they are violent.

False. They consider other possibilities and find reasons why he should be killed.

12.  World leaders face the same kind of dilemmas.

True.