Thomas Cathcart’s The Trolley Problem takes one of philosophy’s most famous thought experiments and turns it into a lively, accessible investigation of ethics. You’re asked to consider a runaway trolley dilemma—save five at the cost of one—or an overpass version where the only way to stop the trolley is to use a heavy object and “the fat guy,” forcing you to confront how people justify harm, weigh outcomes, and reason about responsibility. Cathcart frames the inquiry like a case tried in the court of public opinion, walking readers through arguments from major ethical ideas so you end up with more than an answer—you get a sharper sense of why these questions are so hard to settle.
About the Author
Thomas Cathcart is an author known for making philosophy approachable and entertaining. He co-wrote Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar and has built a career translating weighty philosophical material into witty, reader-friendly narratives that invite you to think—often with humor.
