Hard Dilemmas Trivia: 50 Questions and Answers

In the classic Trolley Problem, pulling the lever diverts the runaway trolley away from five people onto a track with how many?

What phrase describes a situation with no good choices, popularized by Joseph Heller's 1961 satirical war novel?

In game theory, what famous dilemma involves two suspects deciding whether to betray each other or remain silent?

In Greek mythology, Paris had to choose the fairest goddess among Hera, Athena, and which goddess of love?

What Star Trek test presents Starfleet cadets with an unwinnable training simulation involving a stranded civilian ship?

What philosophical wager argues that a rational person should believe in God because the potential gain is infinite?

In the 1999 movie The Matrix, what color pill must Neo take to remain in blissful ignorance?

King Solomon famously resolved a custody dispute between two women by proposing to divide what in half with a sword?

What phrase meaning a free choice with only one real option originated with an English stable owner named Thomas?

In Homer's Odyssey, sailors were forced to choose between the monster Scylla and what deadly whirlpool?

In Greek myth, Achilles chose between a long, quiet life and an early death paired with eternal what?

In the 1982 drama Sophie's Choice, Meryl Streep plays a mother forced to choose between which two family members?

What paradox asks whether a wooden ship remains the same object after every single plank has been replaced over time?

Which television game show hosted by Monty Hall inspired a famous probability dilemma involving three doors and goats?

What colloquial phrase describes choosing the less damaging option between two unfavorable outcomes?

Which British philosopher introduced the Trolley Problem in a 1967 essay on ethics?

In the Monty Hall problem, what is your exact probability of winning the car if you switch doors?

Buridan's ass is a paradox where an undecided donkey starves between two identical piles of what food?

What two-word phrase describes a choice between two equally bad options, named after a 15th-century English archbishop?

In game theory, what situation occurs when no player benefits from changing their strategy while others keep theirs unchanged?

What behavioral economics concept explains why the pain of losing money feels twice as intense as the joy of gaining it?

In the Ultimatum Game, how much money does each player receive if the responder rejects the proposer's split?

In Greek mythology, which king was punished with eternal hunger and thirst under fruit branches he could never grasp?

Which French existentialist philosopher declared that humans are 'condemned to be free' and forced to make unguided choices?

In Garrett Hardin's 1968 essay, what economic tragedy occurs when individuals deplete a shared resource through self-interest?

Which American psychologist formulated a six-stage theory of moral development using the Heinz dilemma?

In Lawrence Kohlberg's Heinz dilemma, what crime does Heinz commit to save his dying wife?

What variation of the Trolley Problem involves pushing a large stranger off an overpass to stop the train?

Stanford's famous 1970 marshmallow experiment tested young children's ability for what behavioral skill?

In Frank Stockton's 1882 short story, a prisoner must open one of two doors containing either a tiger or what?

In Plato's Republic, what magical power does the Ring of Gyges grant to whoever wears it?

What type of game describes a competitive scenario where one participant's gain exactly matches another participant's loss?

Which Danish philosopher wrote the 1843 existential book Either/Or, examining aesthetic versus ethical lives?

In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls proposed designing society behind what hypothetical barrier of ignorance?

What decision paradox formulated in 1969 involves choosing between two boxes after an accurate predictor anticipates your move?

Which 18th-century philosopher proposed the categorical imperative, requiring moral rules to apply universally without exception?

In Robert Nozick's 1974 thought experiment, what simulated device tests whether people prefer real life over artificial pleasure?

Which economist proved that no ranked voting system can convert individual preferences into a community-wide ranking fairly?

Derek Parfit explored identity using a dilemma about what futuristic transportation device that destroys and rebuilds your body?

In which 1729 satirical essay did Jonathan Swift propose eating impoverished infants to solve economic distress?

What behavioral trap makes people stick with failing choices simply because of time or money already spent?

What theological paradox asks whether an all-powerful deity can create a boulder too heavy for that deity to lift?

In Robert Axelrod's 1980 Prisoner's Dilemma tournament, what simple repeating computer strategy won the entire competition?

What evolutionary rule explains why social insects sacrifice individual reproduction to ensure their queen's offspring survive?

In moral philosophy, what principle permits causing harm as an unintended side effect of pursuing a good end?

In what year did British philosopher Philippa Foot publish the essay that introduced the original Trolley Problem?

In what year was Joseph Heller's famous satirical anti-war novel Catch-22 first published in the United States?

In what year did mathematician John Nash publish his doctoral dissertation introducing the concept of the Nash equilibrium?

In what year did John Rawls publish his influential moral and political philosophy book A Theory of Justice?

In what year was the film Sophie's Choice released in United States theaters?