Konferenzbeitrag
Ethical decomposition as a new method to analyse moral dilemmata
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Datum
2019
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Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.
Zusammenfassung
Introduction: Since P. Foot studied the trolley problem in 1967, it has been extensively discussed in ethics, decision theory, medicine, and other disciplines. With the invention of autonomous vehicles, it has become an important and urgent practical question.
Methods: Three well-known, one new and one slightly changed versions of the trolley problem are arranged in a specific order. Kantian and utilitarian solutions to the problems are discussed. Respondents’ decisions were empirically tested and aligned with ethical theories.
Results: Both Kantian and utilitarian ethics provide rules for decision. However, both are incomplete and differ from each other sometimes. In one case, both recommend to “act”, in another, “not to act”. In these two cases, almost all respondents follow the mutual advice. In other cases, ethical theories as well as responses differ.
Discussion: Respondents did not behave irrationally; rather, they considered ethical theories in a sensible way. Disaggregating Kantian and utilitarian decisions helps to identify situations in which autonomous vehicles can be programmed for better adaption to user preferences.