Food for Thought Special: The Trolley Problem

Food for Thought is a series of events, where we discuss philosophical and practical questions of EA in small groups over food and drinks: We are exploring effective altruism one bite at a time. EA newcomers are welcome; studying the suggested material is encouraged but not required, please RSVP.

Topic

The trolley problem comes up in many EA related discussions. This time we want to get all philosophical, creative and silly. We devote this special edition to the trolley problem meme and all its possible and impossible variations. The idea is to have different versions of the meme as a starting point of our discussions this night and see where it leads us.

Suggested Drawing

For this special, there is no suggested reading. However, if you want to get creative beforehand we invite you to draw your own versions of the trolley problem. Just draw the silliest, most creative or the most meaningful and philosophical trolley meme you can think of and bring it as a conversation starter. If you think you can’t draw or if you don’t want to, don’t worry, we’ll bring enough trolley problem memes to have you covered. We will also bring blank paper and pencils, so that you’ll be able to draw new memes on the spot.

Where/​How/​What

It looks like we are lucky and the weather is still warm enough in September to do one more picnic!

So let’s meet again in Monbijoupark (the exact location will be posted before the event as soon as we’ve put our blankets down on the grass).

What to bring

  1. Something to drink and something to eat/​snack for yourself.

  2. If you find the time to prepare or buy extra food: something vegan to share which can be eaten without plates/​cutlery would be much appreciated (this can be something very low effort but if you don’t have the time to prepare anything, feel free to drop by nevertheless).

  3. If you have one: please bring a picnic blanket.

  4. If you have some: String of lights/​fairy lights with batteries, so that it’ll still be cozy after the sun goes down.