Feedback investigates weird trolley problems, the Palaeolithic cannibal diet, fussy otters and microrobot dentistry

Humans 13 July 2022

Josie Ford

Trolley trouble

It is the morning rush, the tram is full to bursting and Feedback wonders who to sacrifice for the greater good. Pulling an imaginary lever will prevent a crash and divert us onto a track with just one individual tied to it? Eminently reasonable.

This brand of thought experiment, first formulated in a 1967 philosophy paper by Philippa Foot, gets a video-game outing on developer Neal Agarwal’s Absurd Trolley Problems website.

Following a tip from Motherboard, Feedback visited the site and rattled through some classic trolley problems, only to be transported to some very strange territory indeed. …