The Trolley Problem, But It Starts Getting Weird | Hillary Kim | TEDxOrangeCountySchoolOfTheArts

The trolley problem, which asks whether one would divert a trolley to hit three people instead of five, is often rooted solely in philosophy. However, its original intent assumes an equal value for each life, which is rarely true in reality. This is due to implicit bias, or unconscious bias, which are societal stereotypes individuals form about groups of people without conscious awareness. These biases simplify the world but are influenced by external factors like media and education, making it easy to alter perceptions of others. To address the common critique that the trolley problem is too extreme for real-life moral situations, a modified version replaces the trolley with an electric chair that leaves victims bedridden instead of killing them. In the first scenario, two people wear t-shirts. One's shirt expresses a love for pineapple pizza, while the other's declares it a disgrace. Most people would likely experience an initial thought or opinion about who to electrocute, often condemning the person who disagrees with their own view. This highlights a human tendency to seek fundamental sameness in others and dislike those with even one differing belief, especially with limited information. Studies show that in short-term relationships, perceived similarity is more important than actual similarity. This drive for connection with similar individuals stems from our natural morality, as interacting with someone who disagrees on complex topics can be unfulfilling or even self-disrespecting. However, this creates a challenge when disagreements extend to more significant topics like religion, politics, or social justice, as these categories cannot be easily boxed. The second scenario introduces a man with bright blue hair and numerous facial piercings, and a young blonde woman with extensive lip filler that prevents her from smiling or frowning. Opinions about these individuals are often immediate. Blue hair and alternative fashion have become markers for various movements and are used to label those outside the mainstream, particularly younger liberals. People with piercings are often perceived as less agreeable, moral, and competent, but more extroverted. For the woman, the "dumb blonde" bias is a known factor. Additionally, women who undergo plastic surgery are perceived less favorably in terms of humanity, warmth, kindness, and competence, according to one study. Interestingly, these negative perceptions do not apply to those considered unattractive, suggesting that empathy for "ugly" people mitigates the negative effects of plastic surgery. These biases also intersect with gender; for example, "dumb blonde" jokes almost exclusively refer to women, and the stereotype of a blue-haired liberal often conjures an image of a white woman. Men with piercings are also perceived as less intelligent and attractive than women with piercings at a higher ratio. The final scenario presents a person in a navy blue suit who neglects their children but just closed a million-dollar deal, and a Starbucks barista whom one might have encountered that morning. While suits convey trustworthiness and professionalism in specific settings, outside of those, they often signal money, authority, and institutions. This can lead to assumptions of bad intentions when someone's perceived status is higher. Conversely, people tend to connect more with the barista due to shared common qualities and the potential for a recent face-to-face interaction, as familiar faces encourage connection. While these extreme scenarios might seem disconnected from daily life, the underlying biases are constantly at play. Individuals hold "levers" every day, making decisions that affect others, whether as a job supervisor choosing who to advance or simply selecting someone to speak to in a room. The trolley problem isn't about the trolley; it's about the lever and the biases that influence our choices. Real-life interactions involve making eye contact with people whose qualities are unknown, unlike the abstract numbers in the trolley problem. Implicit bias is widespread; the Implicit Association Test, with over 40 million takers, found a 78.3% bias towards thin people and a 59.9% bias towards white people. Furthermore, a consulting firm found that similarity bias was the overriding factor in recruitment decisions for 78% of its clients. Even when advocating for equality, individuals will always "pull the lever" one way or another due to inherent biases. To mitigate these unconscious biases, it's crucial to slow down and question instant likes or dislikes, or assumptions of competence or incompetence. Life's significant changes aren't made by extraordinary, "Marvel movie" type decisions, but by ordinary people making ordinary choices in their everyday lives, choices that are profoundly influenced by these implicit biases.