The Trolley Problem: what this star will be
When is it right to cause harm to prevent more?
By Constellate · 9 September 2026 · the short form
The Trolley Problem is a star on the Constellate sky: placed by meaning, named, and connected to the stars around it. This is the short form of its post: the line it carries, the area we colour Philosophy, and what stands beside it today.
The line it carries on the sky: When is it right to cause harm to prevent more?
What stands beside it
The stars nearest to it are The Categorical Imperative, Utilitarianism, The Veil of Ignorance and Sympatheia, and Plato's Allegory of the Cave is already open to walk. When The Trolley Problem opens, the conversation will land it among them, with a line drawn to each idea it touches.
Ask for this star
Every star is lit by demand. Ask for The Trolley Problem and it moves up the list; when it opens, this post becomes the full essay. The open stars beside it can be walked today, and the first concept of every course is free.