Back to Ethics
Ethics - 9th - 12th Grade

The Trolley Problem

Explore classic moral dilemmas and understand different ethical frameworks through interactive scenarios.

THE DILEMMA

A runaway trolley is heading toward five people. You can pull a lever to divert it to another track, where it will hit one person instead.

person
5 people
trolley
Assignment Goals

Why This Works

Thought experiments help study ethics by exposing hidden assumptions and contradictions, pushing our intuitions to edge cases, and sharpening moral reasoning by forcing clear trade-offs. When Peach acts as an AI counterpart, it challenges students to think about problems from every angle whilst gently exposing erroneous logic or incomplete thinking.

Features

Ethical Exploration

Multiple Frameworks

Utilitarian, deontological, and virtue ethics perspectives

Socratic Method

Questions that challenge assumptions without judging

Scenario Variations

Explore variations like the fat man or surgeon dilemmas

Reflection Prompts

Guided journaling to articulate personal values

Student Experience

The Discussion

Peach plays the role of a friendly guide, asking follow-up questions that challenge students to consider motives, consequences, and feelings. As they respond, Peach highlights different ethical viewpoints without judging. Students walk away not with a "correct" answer - but with a stronger sense of what it means to think ethically.

Ready to explore moral philosophy?

Join teachers who are developing critical thinkers through ethical dilemmas.