Moral Dilemma - The Trolley Problem

[Niamh.]

Answer Situation 1 before reading Situation 2, it's interesting

Situation 1
Situation 1: There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead, there are five people tied to the tracks and are unable to move. The trolley will continue coming and will kill the five people. There is nothing you can do to rescue the five people EXCEPT that there is a lever. If you pull the lever, the train will be directed to another track, which has ONE person tied to it. You have two choices:
(a) Do nothing and the five people will die
(b) Or pull the lever and save the five people, but that one person will die.

Situation 2
Situation 2: There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead, there are five people tied to the tracks and are unable to move. The trolley will continue coming and will kill the five people. However, in this situation, you are standing on a bridge above the train tracks and you can see the train coming. There is a man standing next to you, who is so enormous and heavy that if he places himself in front of the oncoming train, it will hit and kill him but the train will stop. So you have two choices
(a) Do nothing and the five people will die.
(b) Push the big guy down the bridge. He will be killed but will stop the trolley and save the five people.


Result after thought
The ironic part about this problem is that while most people would choose the option (b) for the first situation, they will choose option (a) for the second situation, when technically, in both situations, you are sacrificing one man to save the lives of five people.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/lenna-son/2014/06/3-famous-moral-dilemmas-that-will-really-make-you-think/

[Jake.]

i chose to kill both individual people though

[Niamh.]

i chose to kill both individual people though

Did you?

You would actually push a guy off the bridge in front of a train? :o

[Jake.]

Did you?

You would actually push a guy off the bridge in front of a train? :o

well, whether I could actually do it if it came to it I'm not sure, but that was my first thought, yeah

[Niamh.]

well, whether I could actually do it if it came to it I'm not sure, but that was my first thought, yeah

Oh God, I don't think I could do that, the lever one is tougher though because your not touching the person eventhough essentially it'd be your fault they'd die, I'm not sure what I'd do really but I think I'd probably pull it

[AProducer'sWetDream]

I would pull the lever to kill the one person. Although that makes me a murderer :worry:

I would push the man off the bridge to kill him, and probably kill myself afterwards from the guilt :worry:

I've seen a version of this before, where in the second situation they switch it so that you either let five people die or pull a lever and kill a family member. Everyone they asked then decided that they'd actually let the five people die :laugh:

[Niamh.]

wow I can't believe you both answered that to Situation 2 :laugh:

[Smithy]

If someone is fat enough to stop a train they haven't got long left anyway lbh

[Niamh.]

If someone is fat enough to stop a train they haven't got long left anyway lbh

:laugh:

[smudgie]

Situation 1.
Pull the lever then run like the clappers to untie the one person that needs saving.
There would be no situation 2or3 for me, as I would be far too traumatised to ever go near a railway line again.

[Niamh.]

Situation 1.
Pull the lever then run like the clappers to untie the one person that needs saving.
There would be no situation 2or3 for me, as I would be far too traumatised to ever go near a railway line again.

Cheater :nono:

[Niamh.]

This two year old has it sussed :fan:

-N_RZJUAQY4

[T*]

I chose A for both :hee:

[Jack_]

I chose the first option for both, like **** am I directly going to murder someone. You didn't start the trolley moving yourself so I would just reluctantly see it as 'fate'

[Natalie.]

I chose B then A

[Vicky.]

2 in both is my gut reaction..whether I could do it or not though is a different matter.

Only way I may chose to save the one over the five is if the one was a child, or family member of mine

[Alf]

I chose option A for both, option B would be murder on my part, where as option A wasn't my fault

[Jamie89]

Situation 1:
B) I'd pull the lever, I reckon in a split second scenario that would be my gut instinct.
Situation 2:
A) I think in this one I'd turn away from the situation tbh, I wouldn't be able to physically push someone in front of a train, or at least it would have to be much more extreme than that example, like protecting a family member maybe.

[Jordan.]

Do nothing on both

[Vicky.]

Mind, the strength it would take to push a gigantic person who is heavy enough to stop a train...could I not just superman myself and stand infront and stop it with my insane power? :laugh:

[Tom4784]

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00kMCtDcmPbLoT/Shopping-Trolley-HC-120L-.jpg

I'd do nothing, it's only a trolley.

[Kizzy]

Situation 1:
B) I'd pull the lever, I reckon in a split second scenario that would be my gut instinct.
Situation 2:
A) I think in this one I'd turn away from the situation tbh, I wouldn't be able to physically push someone in front of a train, or at least it would have to be much more extreme than that example, like protecting a family member maybe.

Yeah this, pulling a lever for me is different from the physical act of pushing someone.
I could get out of the lever thing.. ' I was holding it so it didn't slip m'lud' :laugh:

[Josy]

B, A

In reality though... 4 words, not my ****ing problem I would literally panic and run away

[Niamh.]

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00kMCtDcmPbLoT/Shopping-Trolley-HC-120L-.jpg

I'd do nothing, it's only a trolley.

Dezzy wins 500pts for getting the correct answer

https://67.media.tumblr.com/396114389b7a831ce0322cea0bb621cb/tumblr_o5g6i985T01tnu8fho1_500.gif

[Vicky.]

I assumed trolley was weird Irish speak for train :suspect:

[Tom4784]

Dezzy wins 500pts for getting the correct answer

https://67.media.tumblr.com/396114389b7a831ce0322cea0bb621cb/tumblr_o5g6i985T01tnu8fho1_500.gif

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o85xzhHAEhytVaPzq/giphy.gif

[Niamh.]

I assumed trolley was weird Irish speak for train :suspect:

:laugh2: I think it's an American word actually, I just copied and pasted that

[Alf]

You tricked me once, I won't let you trick me twice.

[Niamh.]

I was joking about Dezzy being right guys :facepalm:

[Tom4784]

I was joking about Dezzy being right guys :facepalm:

It's not their fault, they're used to me always being right.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/2aaf06ee6a5ab581b57156dab2f753cf/tumblr_inline_nxz4ktcesA1szlnj4_500.gif

[Ammi]

Answer Situation 1 before reading Situation 2, it's interesting

Situation 1
Situation 1: There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead, there are five people tied to the tracks and are unable to move. The trolley will continue coming and will kill the five people. There is nothing you can do to rescue the five people EXCEPT that there is a lever. If you pull the lever, the train will be directed to another track, which has ONE person tied to it. You have two choices:
(a) Do nothing and the five people will die
(b) Or pull the lever and save the five people, but that one person will die.

Situation 2
Situation 2: There is a trolley coming down the tracks and ahead, there are five people tied to the tracks and are unable to move. The trolley will continue coming and will kill the five people. However, in this situation, you are standing on a bridge above the train tracks and you can see the train coming. There is a man standing next to you, who is so enormous and heavy that if he places himself in front of the oncoming train, it will hit and kill him but the train will stop. So you have two choices
(a) Do nothing and the five people will die.
(b) Push the big guy down the bridge. He will be killed but will stop the trolley and save the five people.


Result after thought
The ironic part about this problem is that while most people would choose the option (b) for the first situation, they will choose option (a) for the second situation, when technically, in both situations, you are sacrificing one man to save the lives of five people.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/lenna-son/2014/06/3-famous-moral-dilemmas-that-will-really-make-you-think/

...do nothing and do nothing for both../I couldn't make the choice to actively kill anyone, that's not my decision to make...it's interesting/scary though...how easy to press that button when you wouldn't be looking into the faces of those you were killing...

[Cal.]

I chose B for both.

Like others, if it was my family member I had to kill then I'd choose the 5 people to die instead.

[James]

It reminded me of a radio play I heard.

https://audioboom.com/boos/2036445-ethics-man

If you choose B you are a utilitarian: an action is only a moral action if the consequences are good - the consquences are good if they increase the sum of human happiness.

[Toy Soldier]

I can't get past the question of how fat a person has to be to STOP A TRAIN. :omgno:

Otherwise, it depends.

I'd bump off 5 old people to save one child, no problem. But then, I'd literally let everyone else in the world die - all 7 billion - to save my own children. Hmmm.

[kirklancaster]

If someone is fat enough to stop a train they haven't got long left anyway lbh

:laugh::laugh::laugh: Pure LOGIC Smithy - and so hilarious with it. :clap1::clap1::clap1:

[kirklancaster]

This two year old has it sussed :fan:

-N_RZJUAQY4

:joker::joker::joker: If only life WAS as simple as it seems to a child. That kid might grow up to be a real SuperHero.:laugh:

[kirklancaster]

I would pull that lever and divert the train/trolley, in the first scenario, because I would be sparing 5 lives and sacrificing one, and also sparing countless others - all those relatives and loved ones of the 5 saved - from all the grief and heartache of their losses, whilst limiting such grief to just one poor family.

In the second scenario, I would push the fat guy in front of the train, because I would be saving 6 lives and many more others the grief and heartache of bereavement, whilst limiting the loss of life to just one, and the grief of the bereaved to just one family.

AND - in my opinion - the bastard is the one who tied all those poor feckers to the tracks anyway, and he was 'hanging around' on the bridge for a good view to watch the results of his handiwork. :laugh: