Interesting philosophical question :)

[TheGreatErenan]

The train problem is a very well known and extensively discussed question usually called the Trolley Problem. Many professional philosophers and writers and etc. type people have expressed their opinions about it, and the opinions vary wildly.

There are many variations, and typical responses vary wildly between all of them.

• What if your means of stopping the train is to push a fat man onto the tracks?
• What if the track is a loop that curves around such that if you do not pull the lever, the many innocents AND the one innocent fat man will die, but if you do pull the lever, the fat man will receive the train first and cause the train to stop, thus saving the lives of the many? (Choice between everyone's death or one person's death)
• What if the fat man is known to you to be a villain of some repute, possibly even being directly responsible for the train being out of control in the first place and/or the innocents being in the train's path?
• What if the one that might die to save the many is the President of the United States (or other similar person of comparable importance)?
• What if the many innocents are strangers to you and the one person who might die to save them is a loved one, such as your mother or your child?
• What if you and your loved one are ON the runaway train, and you will both surely die unless you forcefully cram your loved one into some mechanism on the train, causing his or her death, but which would then cause the mechanism to lock up and subsequently cause the train to slow to a safe stop, thus saving your own life? You can further assume that you yourself are the fat man and therefore cannot fit into the mechanism to sacrifice yourself to save your loved one.
  

I think the scenario is obviously not entirely realistic. However, I think it's mostly meant to provide some meaningful context to an otherwise purely abstract symbolic ethical exercise. Do you prefer to answer this question or the following:

Suppose you are given the choice between one person's death and five people's deaths. Further suppose that you absolutely must choose one of these two options and that no other options are available. Which option do you choose?

[Wildt4lon]

#3 His daughter is not dead. His neighbour's wife is. You know perfectly well that he did nothing. Talk to the police.

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I haven't seen the loop one with the trolley question, but I have heard of the rest. I wouldn't do anything if they were everyday normal people, but if they were loved ones, I would do anything to save them.

[aaronINdayton]

(01-22-2013 03:13 AM)TheQwertiest Wrote:  here are more moral dilemmas that aaron would not like

These are much more realistic!

1. Don't kick the chair, if the guard kills someone else it's the guard's fault not yours. If you're able to defend your son, defend your son.

2. Go immediately to your supervisor about an email regarding violation of HR policies. If the company does nothing, find another job and telling your friend is up to you.

Updated-
3. too unrealistic for me
4. too unrealistic for me

stopped reading, thanks for posting though!

[TheQwertiest]

(01-22-2013 03:18 AM)Wildtalon1851 Wrote:  As I said before, funnily, many are disgusted by the actual TOUCHING of the man on the bridge, but are happily able to sacrifice man for four as long as there is no physical contact. It's just the same dilemma phrased different ways.
Interesting...

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@TheQwertiest #1
Kill the sadistic guard.

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#2 Talk to the company manager about the situation and see if permission could be asked to reveal the adultery.

killing the guard is not an option.

[Wildt4lon]

I would, with the jamming-the-mechanism question, do nothing. To live with the knowledge of murder of a loved one is worse than death.

[TheQwertiest]

(01-22-2013 03:30 AM)aaronINdayton Wrote:  

(01-22-2013 03:13 AM)TheQwertiest Wrote:  here are more moral dilemmas that aaron would not like

These are much more realistic!

1. Don't kick the chair, if the guard kills someone else it's the guard's fault not yours. If you're able to defend your son, defend your son.

2. Go immediately to your supervisor about an email regarding violation of HR policies. If the company does nothing, find another job and telling your friend is up to you.

Updated-
3. too unrealistic for me
4. too unrealistic for me

stopped reading, thanks for posting though!

i knew you wouldnt like it.
i just added number 4 cause i found it a bit funny

[aaronINdayton]

(01-22-2013 03:22 AM)Erenan Wrote:  Suppose you are given the choice between one person's death and five people's deaths. Further suppose that you absolutely must choose one of these two options and that no other options are available. Which option do you choose?

I don't see how people dying is ever your choice. It would be your choice to kill someone, for whatever reasons. It would not be your choice for an accident to occur (runaway trolley) that will kill 5 people near you, that's an accident.

[Coolio]

Another one:

You are a poor person who works two shifts to keep your family alive. One day a man comes to your house and puts a red button and a suitcase in front of you .You look in the suitcase and it's filled with $1,000,000. The man says if you push the button one person on earth will die but you will get the money. It's a random person and you probably won't even know them. Do you push the button?

[TheQwertiest]

(01-22-2013 03:42 AM)Coolio Wrote:  Another one:

You are a poor person who works two shifts to keep your family alive. One day a man comes to your house and puts a red button and a suitcase in front of you .You look in the suitcase and it's filled with $1,000,000. The man says if you push the button one person on earth will die but you will get the money. It's a random person and you probably won't even know them. Do you push the button?

1 question. how many times can i press the button?
just kidding. but yes i would push the button

[aaronINdayton]

(01-22-2013 03:42 AM)Coolio Wrote:  Another one:

You are a poor person who works two shifts to keep your family alive. One day a man comes to your house and puts a red button and a suitcase in front of you .You look in the suitcase and it's filled with $1,000,000. The man says if you push the button one person on earth will die but you will get the money. It's a random person and you probably won't even know them. Do you push the button?

Wasn't this the premise of a movie?