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Post by Polaris Seltzeris on May 12, 2020 3:56:30 GMT
Just to spice this forum up with a very non-insightful, dumb moral problem, what are everyone's thoughts on the Trolley Problem?
For those who aren't aware, the trolley problem is you have 5 people on a railroad and you're the conductor, the trolley is about to run over those 5 people and kill them. You do have a lever to divert the trolley onto another track, where it will then kill one person.
Would you pick the lever, or leave it alone?
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mibbzz
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Post by mibbzz on May 12, 2020 4:00:21 GMT
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miwo
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Post by miwo on May 12, 2020 5:58:01 GMT
I would probably not choose to play executioner by following some manner of Deontology i.e. Categorical imperative. I have pondered over a thing my old ethics teacher once said in regards to the Trolley Problem and Christianity. Saying that, according to the morals of the NT, you should do nothing, since you are not culpable that someone tied the people to the track. It is a sin to murder, and the culpability is tied to agency. In only one scenario are you the agent of death, which should solely be reserved to God.
I dunno, the quote just sticked with me for a while for some reason.
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elmon
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Post by elmon on May 12, 2020 6:10:58 GMT
Maybe there's a way to split the train and divert the front part only so you hit all 6 people?
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Post by Polaris Seltzeris on May 12, 2020 6:18:20 GMT
Maybe there's a way to split the train and divert the front part only so you hit all 6 people? That's a good option!
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Lykhant
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Post by Lykhant on May 12, 2020 6:45:35 GMT
Maybe there's a way to split the train and divert the front part only so you hit all 6 people? Woah there, buddy. That's a really damn twisted plan. You are literally going out of your way to cause the most deaths. I love it. ONT: In my case, I'd pick the lever. Sure, it might not be my fault that those 5 people are on the railroad, but if I could minimize the number of deaths, I would choose to do so. There does not seem to be any other downside to picking the lever. After all, whatever I do, someone is going to perish and their loved ones will be in pain because of the loss. The obvious choice to my eyes is reducing the damage done as much as possible.
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_Windows
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Post by _Windows on May 12, 2020 9:14:30 GMT
I believe in all lives having equal value morally. The net loss of the five would be greater than the one.
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Video
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Post by Video on May 12, 2020 9:32:26 GMT
i'd rather derail my trolley and die because then i would be the one who dies and not the innocent people on the road
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_Windows
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Post by _Windows on May 12, 2020 9:48:07 GMT
i'd rather derail my trolley and die because then i would be the one who dies and not the innocent people on the road So would I, but that misses the purpose of the question.
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Hockey
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Post by Hockey on May 12, 2020 18:29:36 GMT
I find it interesting that the poll is heavily skewed towards 'pull the lever', just like how people respond in surveys, yet in the video, only 1 person actually does pull the lever.
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Alco RS11
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Post by Alco RS11 on May 12, 2020 18:33:42 GMT
My logic is that to switch the track, you'd need to stop the trolley anyways, sparing the people, or if the brakes didn't work, there should be an emergency brake. Attempting to switch it without stopping will result in a derailment, defeating the purpose of the question. Oh, and a normal rapid transit company wouldn't send defective equipment out to transport passengers so this is an unrealistic proposition. Especially if the brakes don't work. If I had no choice, depending on who was on the tracks, if it was people I don't like, fuck them. They're getting run over.
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Super
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Post by Super on May 12, 2020 18:37:03 GMT
I'd pick the lever, but time it right so the trolley gets stuck on the track and no one dies
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CurtainPoles
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Post by CurtainPoles on May 12, 2020 22:17:29 GMT
If you pull the lever, you're seen as a murderer or at least assisting a murder. Whereas if you leave it, you're innocent and just witnessed it.
Now, the theory of greater good would dictate that you kill 1 person to let 5 live. Though what if the 5 people were child killers and the 1 person was an innocent person. Would the theory of greater good still dictate to kill 1 (innocent) person to allow 5 (child killer) people to live, or would there be a greater (better) outcome by killing the 5 murderers.
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Post by zevante on May 12, 2020 22:30:01 GMT
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Post by DragonSlayer2189 on May 13, 2020 1:25:18 GMT
Maybe there's a way to split the train and divert the front part only so you hit all 6 people? vouch
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