(May 18, 2016 at 10:54 pm)Thena323 Wrote: I don't think a total of five individuals is necessarily sufficient enough to warrant the act of killing an individual in the name of "the greater good".
Tell that to the five families. The only real issue at stake is you getting to look in the mirror and not see a killer. You are weighing that value against the value of four human lives. That you think not flipping the switching absolves you of the guilt of those 5 deaths, though their lives are clearly in your hands, seems inexplicable to me. It's like you're saying, "La la la people die. No blood on my hands!"
I care much less about whether I have blood on my hands actively or passively than I care about 5 people I could save. If I have to burn in psychological torment, constantly dreaming about that poor 1 guy who got smooshed, then it's my duty as a citizen to accept the psychological consequences of my actions and save the 5 anyway.