Tutorial # 7. Consequentialism. The Trolley Problem

Consequentialism is the view that an action is morally right just in case it promotes the good at least as well as any of the other available alternatives.

Now, think about the following pair of scenarios offered by Judith Jarvis Thomson:

A runaway trolley rushes towards five people who will be killed if it proceeds on its present course. The only way to save them is to hit a switch that will divert the trolley onto another set of tracks where it will kill only one person instead of five.
What should you do?

Same scenario as before. A
trolley is hurtling down a track towards five people. This time, you are on a bridge under which it will pass, and you can stop it by dropping a heavy weight in front of it. As it happens, there is a very fat man next to you - your only way to stop the trolley is to push him over the bridge and onto the track, killing him to save five.
Should you proceed?

…

The Trolley Problem. Video

What should an utilitarian do?

What is the difference that motivates these different moral judgements?