The train is going down a track, and you’re standing at the lever. If you let the train go, it kills five people; if you pull the lever, you switch the train to a track with one person, and you kill them. Do you flip the lever?
This philosophical question, known as the trolley problem, is one of the most popular discussion starters for the Philosophy Club. Led by five student co-leaders, the club has, for the past seven years, offered a space during X-block for students to explore other big ideas, such as questions surrounding Nature vs. Nurture or Utilitarianism vs. Deontology.
For senior and co-leader Amir Tomer, the trolley problem represents what makes the clubs interesting and engaging: a question that doesn’t have one right or wrong answer and invites many perspectives.
“My favorite thing to talk about is the trolley problem, which is a popular philosophical question and a question we do at the first meeting every year,” Tomer said. “I think it’s a cool question because it provokes a lot of interesting thoughts from different people.”
Tomer joined the club in his freshman year and became a co-leader his sophomore year, helping the club grow and attract new members.
“Freshman year, there were a lot of students, most of them seniors. So my sophomore year, there weren’t that many, and it was really hard to build it up from so few people,” Tomer said. “With the help of me and the other co-leaders, we were able to give the club a new look, and we went from around five participants sophomore year to now, 20 participants every week.”
Each week, members explore a different essential question, from “Is voting a right or a privilege?” to “What makes something morally right?” Junior and co-leader Elise Rudberg said the structure helps members engage deeply with the topics.
“We always come prepared with a topic, and we all have done some sort of research on it,” Rudberg said. “Because we have recurring members, it’s interesting to see how their opinions change as they progress throughout the year and how their thoughts about one topic differ from their thoughts on another topic.”
For junior and co-leader Ori Levy, her favorite part of the club is the range of opinions it brings together.
“We have such a diverse group of people that come into this club, who have very differing ideas, and it’s really interesting to hear different perspectives,” Levy said.
Beyond learning about philosophy, Rudberg said the club helped her build the confidence to speak her mind.
“It’s a really great place to discover your voice,” Rudberg said. “At first in the club, I would talk once, and I would have to plan out what I was going to say before I said it. Now I feel a lot more comfortable, and I think this is a really good place to discover that [confidence].”
Levy said she enjoys philosophy because it allows for deeper thinking without the tension that comes from other debates.
“I like philosophy because it doesn’t feel personal; we can talk about all these topics, and you learn a lot about people, but unlike politics, it’s not heavy or really hard,” Levy said. “You just learn a lot about people and their opinions.”
Tomer said that philosophy is more than just abstract questions — it is also about understanding and learning how people think and why.
“I enjoy thinking about how people make decisions and people’s values,” Tomer said. “You learn a lot about yourself and the people around you.”
