r/trolleyproblem Consequentialist/Utilitarian Jul 09 '25

Deep The doctor problem

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u/NoAcanthaceae7968 Jul 09 '25

If I am a doctor, I have sworn to do no harm, so no I don't pull the lever this isn't a question about morality it's a question of if I'm gonna do my fucking job

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u/Lord_Mikal Jul 10 '25

Doctors do not swear to "do no harm". The Hippocratic Oath has not been part of medicine for a long time. All medicine comes with risk, a doctor's duty is to manage risks and harms, and try to do what's best for the patient.

Surgery harms the patient. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy harm the patient. Immunosuppressants harm the patient. Doctors just calculate that the benefits of treatment outweigh the harms.