Moral Hypotheticals

[Amirsade]

Hypothetical #1

This is from the classic train/tram/trolley scenarios, and goes to the question of "killing" vs. "letting die".

You are a conductor of a train that has had its brakes cut. On the train line you are on, five people are tied to the tracks. If you continue along the same line, you will run them over and kill them. Just before the five people, the line breaks off into another line, where only one person is tied to the tracks. In order to divert the train and move to the other line (thereby killing one person instead of five), all you need to do is pull the lever.

What would you do in this situation, given that your only two options will end in a death/deaths?

(Feel free to post up your own hypotheticals, and to those responding to them please make sure you quote the post you are responding to

[The-Screw]

but if i pull the lever the train divides into 2 cars, one staying on its current course and the other on the new line, everyone dies. the 5 people tied to the track gotta go, RIP.

[Amirsade]

(not pulling the lever) constitutes no action, and so some people feel that this makes them less culpable - by pulling the lever, you are intervening in the situation and your DIRECT actions result in the death of one person. However, others do not see it that way, and I guess you're one of them

Some people feel that not intervening makes them less culpable, some people feel that killing fewer people makes them less culpable. That is why one alternative involves letting the train run its course, and another involves direct intervention. If it were a question of pulling the lever in either situation, it would be a lot more simple and the majority of people, if not all, would kill the one person over the five. Obviously there is no "right" answer necessarily, I'm just trying to get an idea of how different people think

[Madd_Scientist_]

i'd pull it, there are 2 options both resulting in death..personally i think the person who decides to not pull the lever is a coward, for them it's easier to blame whomever cut the brakes-because then they didn't have anything to do with it in the first place.

Like you said, by intervening it's my direct actions which will result in the death of ONE person, that is easier than knowing that i didn't do anything and as a result killed not one but FIVE people.

[Amirsade]

What about this one:

You have a gun pointed to your head and are told that you must shoot one out of two people.

1. A (wo)man you are deeply in love with but who does not and never will love you.
2. A (wo)man who you know loves you very deeply but whom you have no feelings for whatsoever and cannot imagine yourself being with them at all.

You cannot shoot yourself or anybody else in the room. It has to be one or the other. Who will you choose to kill?

[The-Screw]

i would kill woman A because a wise man once told me, its always better to be with someone that loves you than someone you love.

[Amirsade]

i would kill woman A because a wise man once told me, its always better to be with someone that loves you than someone you love.

what if both woman was muslim, what would u do then

[Ms.Erudite]

In the first scenario, i would pull the lever and save 5 lives!

In the second, i'd kill the 1st woman cos i'd get more from being loved, then i would pining after someone who doesn't want me.

[black velvet]

In the 1st one I would jump out of the train and make myself believe I was never there

In the 2nd one I would wait until whoever made me choose got fed up and shot someone

[Madd_Scientist_]

What about this one:

You have a gun pointed to your head and are told that you must shoot one out of two people.

1. A (wo)man you are deeply in love with but who does not and never will love you.
2. A (wo)man who you know loves you very deeply but whom you have no feelings for whatsoever and cannot imagine yourself being with them at all.

You cannot shoot yourself or anybody else in the room. It has to be one or the other. Who will you choose to kill?

shoot number 2

[surrender]

in the first scenario: i would jump like bv said, jump and if i die jumping of the train at least i know i didnt kill anyone.

scenario: i would kill the one i love!! its easier to be loved, than to love someone like screw said!

[Addoow]

Why do we even care about this stupid hypothetical question? some people have too much time on their hands.

[Amirsade]

Why do we even care about this stupid hypothetical question? some people have too much time on their hands.

lol, YOU HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE UR OPINION, ASK URSELF

[AbdiWahab252]

I'd pick the track with the least number of Hawiye.

[siren]

What about this one:

You have a gun pointed to your head and are told that you must shoot one out of two people.

1. A (wo)man you are deeply in love with but who does not and never will love you.
2. A (wo)man who you know loves you very deeply but whom you have no feelings for whatsoever and cannot imagine yourself being with them at all.

You cannot shoot yourself or anybody else in the room. It has to be one or the other. Who will you choose to kill?

Ohh this is a tough one, I am not sure what I would do...