A question of Morality...

asim18 said:
You said I would do nothing because I'd just be there wondering who they were.

I Implied that I can recognise my friends in a split second, even from the back of their head and the clothes they're wearing.
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Still don't get it, doesn't matter mate, I'm probably just being thick or something, just forget about it.

Rich_L said:
The fat man one is easy, tell him the dilemma, then wander off and let him decide.

Delegation of responsibility for the maximum win :p
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Ha ha I like that :D.
 
Alternatively

Q1) A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are 5 people who have been tied to the track. Fortunately, you can flip a switch, which will lead the trolley down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single person tied to that track. Should you flip the switch?
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Let the train run over the 5 people, then stamp on the other guys head till he's dead. All or nothing, it's only fair :p
 
Dj_Jestar said:
Ha, whilst it is amusing to pick apart the story.. I think it's safe to assume that it is summarised thusly:
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You can't bait me that easily. By making that statement you're implying that I have no choice here, that I either kill one or five people. But if I have no choice, that means that something has power over me. You might be doing that by holding a gun to my head and threatening to kill me if I don't make a decision. In that case, I will surely throw the switch to save my own life, thus sending the trolley barrelling over the mobster's kid tied to the other track. Now, again, I'm in for a world of pain because I have foiled his plans to destroy the other five people, one of which was the son of the rival gang boss which he was using for leverage because of a casino hit that went wrong. But that didn't work. It didn't work at all. This is going to suck. :(
 
Raist said:
You can't bait me that easily. By making that statement you're implying that I have no choice here, that I either kill one or five people. But if I have no choice, that means that something has power over me. You might be doing that by holding a gun to my head and threatening to kill me if I don't make a decision. In that case, I will surely throw the switch to save my own life, thus sending the trolley barrelling over the mobster's kid tied to the other track. Now, again, I'm in for a world of pain because I have foiled his plans to destroy the other five people, one of which was the son of the rival gang boss which he was using for leverage because of a casino hit that went wrong. But that didn't work. It didn't work at all. This is going to suck. :(
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I fail to see how you read that far between the lines.. the choice is there for you to take and there is no 'at gun point' about it.. you either cause the death of one person, or the other five will die.. that is it, in it's entirety, lock, stock, the ****ing lot. No implications about your own well being, no implications of who the six people are, just the plain, simple, uncomplicated (or not so) choice of kill this one person, or let five others die.
 
Or, can I phone a friend up and ask them a totally random question, like get them to say a number between 1-100, but secretly if it's under 50 you flick to one person, if it's over 50 you flick to five people, then afterwards tell your friend what the implications of their answer was, thereby leaving them with sleepless nights of wondering whether they did the right thing and 'what if' they'd picked a different number.

Perfick :p
 
Burnsy2023 said:
Well morally the answer is simple, like has been said "the needs of the many and all", but making the right decision at the time is a difficult thing. Either way, I'd be ****ed up afterwards.
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Essentially the question comes down to "are you a utilitarian?". And I'd say the answer isn't morally simple, while it may seem like you are making a value judgement on the lives either way you are only really making one if you choose to kill the one person rather than not acting and possibly killing five.

Additionally when choosing to flip the switch you don't know what would happen if you didn't, the liklihood is that the five will die but they may not for whatever reason (derailment of train, act of god, loosening of the ties allowing escape etc etc), this compares to the relative certainty that one person will die because of your actions.
 
Burnsy2023 said:
You already have something to do with it by having the opportunity to stop more people from dying. Doing nothing is still a conscious choice that has it's consequences.
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and then get done for murder for pushing the man over the bridge, I probably wouldnt do anything :confused:
 
Dj_Jestar said:
I fail to see how you read that far between the lines.. the choice is there for you to take and there is no 'at gun point' about it.. you either cause the death of one person, or the other five will die.. that is it, in it's entirety, lock, stock, the ****ing lot. No implications about your own well being, no implications of who the six people are, just the plain, simple, uncomplicated (or not so) choice of kill this one person, or let five others die.
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There was nothing between the lines. At the very least I see 6 people tied to the tracks and am able to deduce that they were put there for a reason, and surely I don't want to go up against the person or persons who were able to manhandle these hulking abominations in this manner. I'm tellin' ya, I'm running for it.


Burnsy2023 said:
A trolley is an American name for for a railway coach- usually carrying freight.
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It is? I thought we called them "trains".
 
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