The Turner Problem: Relationality and the Limits of Algorithmic Morality

While classic thought experiments like Philippa Foot’s Trolley Problem rely on a cold, agent-neutral calculus to measure moral outcomes, they often strip away the messy reality of human relationships. This paper introduces "The Turner Problem," a structural variant that forces a direct collision between mathematical utilitarianism and the biological imperatives of kin selection. By forcing a choice between five anonymous strangers and a single loved one, the dilemma exposes a critical fault line in pure ethical logic: to humans, all lives are not of equal value. This paper argues that family loyalty is not a logical bug or an emotional bias to be engineered out of existence, but rather the foundational architecture of human morality itself. Ultimately, this framing highlights why autonomous systems and AI alignment models, which operate on un-algorithmic moral math, will inherently clash with deeply ingrained human values when forced into high-stakes choices.