Well, the day comes, the trolley is unleashed on the world. And sure enough, there are people all over the tracks. Of course, there was no time (allowed by Samsamelo) to test properly. So of course, they realize only once it has started that sometimes the trolley gets going so fast there is no time to get out of the way. And sure enough the trolley is on its way towards five people ready to pull it, but there is a switch, and you, you dear reader, not Samsamelo, can pull it and instead have it gone toward one person instead on another track.
Now, this is an almost trolley problem. There are still a few minutes to try a few things. You can yell at the people down the tracks to try to get out of the way now, but they may not hear you. You can try putting some things in the way of the trolley. Lastly you can make that last ditch effort to derail the trolley at exactly the moment it gets to the switch. And, quite possibly, no one will get hurt.
But, of course, we never needed to have this almost trolley problem at all.
Had Samsamelo been ethical and not lied and at least one-third stole, people who are actually caring and good, and likely do not lie nor steal, and coincidentally are not nearly as ridiculously wealthy but at least are now on somewhat more of a level playing field as the ridiculously wealthy would have been honest and transparent, would not have allowed what soon may happen. Namely, what is arguably the most unethical thing of all: the taking of innocent life.
Again, the right questions to ask are… Why is there a trolley barreling down the tracks? Why are there people on the tracks? Why are we in this situation? Why did someone make the decisions that have us in this place?
The answer:
People who believe in real trolley problems, that are never proven, prove to create the real “almost trolley problems” that should never have been.