One person dying is bad enough. I know 5 dying is worse but I don't know if I could act.
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Current time: December 14, 2024, 12:40 pm
Poll: What will you choose to do? This poll is closed. |
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I will choose to push the fat man onto the tracks. | 2 | 28.57% | |
I will choose to do nothing. | 5 | 71.43% | |
Total | 7 vote(s) | 100% |
* You voted for this item. | [Show Results] |
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#1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
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I would try to save the five people by shouting out to them rather than murder a single person.
The problem with the scenario is that you are told beforehand that the only two options are killing someone or letting five people die. You are effectively also told what the future will be in that nothing else will succeed. Life does not work that way. You don't know what the future holds. Yes I know it's a hypothetical situation and that you could contrive another scenario where you really do not have any choice, but in reality, there is always something else that you can attempt. It may fail but you also have to live with yourself and you avoid being punished.
Very true this is the problem with thought experiments like this... all the options chosen sound counter-intuitive and weird because the thought experiments are so very different to reality.
RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 6:33 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 6:45 am by The Grand Nudger.)
(May 18, 2016 at 9:40 pm)bennyboy Wrote: Actually, this inaction in a group setting is a well-studied phenomenon in psychology. It is especially common in large groups where there is no clear leader-- everyone kind of looks around for direction, and nobody takes the lead. This happens all the time with things like heart attack or seizures: someone will clearly be in serious trouble, and passers-by will literally walk right past them, pretending not to notice. However, if ONE, just one person, takes action, a dozen more will immediately jump in to help. Well aware, still not onboard with your assessment, but no reason to bicker. Weigh that against the beatings of dissidents and undesirables, civilian casualties of war, and honor killings. Good people, doing the right thing. Acting on their moral intuitions...to deleterious effect. I can't help but suspect that if more of us did less, there might be more of us left, and that some portion of the remainder is due to those who wouldn't raise the billy club, the rifle, or the throwing stone. You and I might be willing to do some envelope math with human lives based upon how it gives us the feels, but I'm not at all certain that the outcomes of that willingness are desirable played out in the aggregate, or that we have room to condemn those who either wouldn't, or could't. Lets not forget that, in the end..particularly in this thought experiment, we would be condemning someone for refusing or being unable to commit a murder.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
(May 19, 2016 at 6:33 am)Rhythm Wrote: You and I might be willing to do some envelope math with human lives based upon how it gives us the feels, but I'm not at all certain that the outcomes of that willingness are desirable played out in the aggregate, or that we have room to condemn those who either wouldn't, or could't. Lets not forget that, in the end..particularly in this thought experiment, we would be condemning someone for refusing or being unable to commit a murder. I'd say if you are at the controls of the train, you are already going to be a murderer. The question is only how many you will murder. I don't see any important difference between the choice to flip a track or the choice not to-- they are both decisions, and a decision is an active process already. RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 7:21 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 7:21 am by The Grand Nudger.)
That's an awfully loose definition of a murderer, but I can see why, if you think that, the rest could follow.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 8:51 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 8:52 am by robvalue.)
(May 19, 2016 at 5:13 am)pool the great Wrote:(May 19, 2016 at 4:18 am)robvalue Wrote: I don't know if I'd freeze up or not. I'm happy to say I've never been in a position where I've been required to quickly make decisions of such magnitude. I hope I never will. Well I don't have any, but rationally I'd reason to still save the five. If I had to guess, I would do the opposite in a real situation though. Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists. Index of useful threads and discussions Index of my best videos Quickstart guide to the forum RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 8:52 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 8:53 am by The Grand Nudger.)
You'd end up in the hall of epic parenting fails if you didn't, lol. Try explaining -that shit- to your daughter as she bleeds out. "Well, Daddy was just trying to be rational about all of this." hehehe.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 9:01 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 9:02 am by robvalue.)
Yeah. I'm never going to have any, so it's hard to properly answer. I don't like kids in general, which is one of the main reasons. I'll just kill all of them.
It would easier for me to answer if you replaced the children with dogs. I'd want to rationally avoid as much death as possible, but I also highly doubt my ability to go through with it and see my dog die. Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists. Index of useful threads and discussions Index of my best videos Quickstart guide to the forum RE: #1 Thought experiment - "The Trolley Problem"
May 19, 2016 at 9:04 am
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 9:05 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Well, you could replace "daughter" with "the fat man you pushed into the tracks" and I think it would be about the same - maybe a little less emotionally compelling but no different in context. I doubt you'd have any more success justifying your actions to him than you would to your own child.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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