What are your thoughts about the trolley problem? What would you do if [i]you[/i] had the lever/button? Explanation of the trolley problem in spoiler. [spoiler]You're in a room with a lever/button that controls the train tracks. You can see a bunch of innocent people tied up right in the path of the trolley (they'd die if they get run over). However, there is an alternative path for the trolley, which would kill one innocent person. [i]You[/i] can pull the lever and switch the tracks, killing one person but saving many. Or, you can do nothing at all, and allow the several to be killed. Nobody is watching you. It's all your choice. What will you choose? It basically comes down to, will you kill a person to let many others live? Or would you not kill the one person and let the others die? There is no way to save both groups at once. [/spoiler]
Alternate wording:
[spoiler]you are a train junction operator, working alone, whom sees a train approaching and it is not slowing down as the driver has had a heart attack and died. There is nobody else on the train.
The trains current course sees it go forward, unchanged at the junction and it will run over 3 workers on the track.
In front of you there is a lever which, if pulled, can send the train into a siding where there is one worker on the track.
The workers on both lines are in the middle of the track, wearing earmuffs and engrossed in their work, they will not hear the train coming, they WILL be killed if the train comes in their direction.
You do not know any of the workers on either track.
You can assume all workers are of equal societal worth, and all have families.
Nobody knows the original direction of the train.
Nobody will know that it was you whom were up in the tower.
Nobody will know if you pulled, or didnt pull the lever.
Nobody will charge you, sue you or ridicule/congratulate you for your decision.
QUESTIONS
1 would you pull the lever?
2 do you consider not pulling the lever to be equally as significant as pulling the lever?
3 would your response change if you were, or were not, an employee of the rail service involved in this hypothetical accident, or if you were just a lay person whom happened to be in the tower?
4 if you knew someone accidently left the lever in the forward position (killing 3), would you change it back to originally go down the siding (killing one)?
[/spoiler]
Discuss.
-
Wow.... I try to give #offtopic some discussion value, and it gets ignored? K then
-
Kill them all...
-
I would kill the one person, The numbers would vindicate me, unless I actually knew the person on the tracks.
-
In the instance where I know none involved, it becomes easy to throw the lever and let one die rather than not and let many perish. Making the problem more interesting is giving some attachment to the single person in the alternative track. Like a family member or friend. Or even just an acquaintance.
-
I'd pull it. In the words of Lincoln "Every man is guilty of the good he dod not do."
-
You forgot the rest of the problem
-
lowkey Destiny related amirite
-
The probelm i got taught goes like this, as i think you need to re word/clarify it better. I absolutley love this conundrum and it's caused a near-breakup level argument between me and my missus. [spoiler]you are a train junction operator, working alone, whom sees a train approaching and it is not slowing down as the driver has had a heart attack and died. There is nobody else on the train. The trains current course sees it go forward, unchanged at the junction and it will run over 3 workers on the track. In front of you there is a lever which, if pulled, can send the train into a siding where there is one worker on the track. The workers on both lines are in the middle of the track, wearing earmuffs and engrossed in their work, they will not hear the train coming, they WILL be killed if the train comes in their direction. You do not know any of the workers on either track. You can assume all workers are of equal societal worth, and all have families. Nobody knows the original direction of the train. Nobody will know that it was you whom were up in the tower. Nobody will know if you pulled, or didnt pull the lever. Nobody will charge you, sue you or ridicule/congratulate you for your decision. QUESTIONS 1 would you pull the lever 2 do you consider not pulling the lever to be equally as significant as pulling the lever 3 would your response change if you were, or were not, an employee of the rail service involved in this hypothetical accident, or if you were just a lay person whom happened to be in the tower 4 if you knew someone accidently left the lever in the forward position (killing 3), would you change it back to originally go down the siding (killing one)? [/spoiler] [spoiler]You do not know any of the workers on either track. You can assume all workers are of equal societal worth, and all have families. Nobody knows the original direction of the train. Nobody will know that it was you whom were up in the tower. Nobody will know if you pulled, or didnt pull the lever. Nobody will charge you, sue you or ridicule/congratulate you for your decision[/spoiler]
-
Id shut my eyes and shout LALALALA THIS IS NOT HAPPENING
-
Edited by Chapstick: 11/18/2015 10:42:14 AMThis is not a riddle but somewhat of a test question. The real way the question is phrased is like this: 3 people are tied to a track, but you can stop the train if you push a single person off a bridge and to his death. A psychopath would be more inclined to push a single person to there death because its logical and they have zero empathy, a normal person is more empathetic and would have trouble doing this because its more personal and you would actually be causing that persons death.
-
In this society the survivors would see me pull the lever and try to charge me with Murder. That one guy is probably a dumbass so I'd let him live. I'd walk away like I never saw anything
-
Also the time it takes you to answer that question might indicate a mental disorder. If you quickly answered it..... U cray cray
-
I'd throw my mother in law in the way, stopping it, and save everyone important. Take THAT logic!
-
I thought you were talking about the fusion rifle. [spoiler] But kill one instead of many [/spoiler]
-
Can I kill both?
-
-
Dude that gun is old & op from dark below
-
... Is the one person Tucker?
-
Pull the lever, it's the right thing to do.
-
[i][/i]
-
Depends who the people are
-
I honestly don't understand how this is a dilemma, you're an asshole for pulling the lever, but a huge asshole for not.
-
What if the bunch of people were illegal immigrants.
-
There is no choice involved. Let the single person die rather then the group. Multiple lives are always worth more then 1.
-
Depends on which group has more to offer society. The group of many might all be worthless dumb-blam!-s.
-
I'd pull the 'brake' switch.