[Josy]

You are part of a group of ecologists who live in a remote stretch of jungle. The entire group, which includes eight children, has been taken hostage by a group of paramilitary terrorists. One of the terrorists takes a liking to you. He informs you that his leader intends to kill you and the rest of the hostages the following morning.

He is willing to help you and the children escape, but as an act of good faith he wants you to torture and kill one of your fellow hostages whom he does not like. If you refuse his offer, all the hostages including the children and yourself will die. If you accept his offer, then the others will die in the morning but you and the eight children will escape.

Would you torture and kill one of your fellow hostages in order to escape from the terrorists and save the lives of the eight children?

[Benjamin]

erm yes

[Benjamin]

Wait do I have to give him sexual favours?

[Kizzy]

Oh hang on... my daughter got me with one of these the other day, if I say the wrong thing does it mean I'm a serial killer or summat?

[GypsyGoth]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Oh hang on... my daughter got me with one of these the other day, if I say the wrong thing does it mean I'm a serial killer or summat?

Yea I think if you say you would like to join the terrorists and torture and kill everyone, you could be a serial killer.

[Josy]

I know it's easy enough to say oh I would definitely torture and kill someone to save 8 kids but I don't know if I would actually be able to carry something like that out.

[GypsyGoth]

I don't think you could live with yourself afterwards, but at least you'd be saving 8 kids that way.

[Kizzy]

It was push someone under a train to save everyone on the train.. I said the wrong thing.
I would keep trying to get him to change his mind, but like josy I'll say I would, but really I know I couldn't do that.

[MTVN]

I couldn't torture someone especially not an innocent person, not sure there's any incentive big enough that could make me go through with something like that

[Kate!]

I'd have a total breakdown faced with a choice like this. I would be incapable of torturing a human being, even if they were a bad person, I could poison them if it was a quick death and that's all I could bring myself to do. But I'd be a wreck because it's children's lives.

[Ammi]

..I'd pray for the 8 children because I could never torture anyone...I couldn't even kill someone quickly by pulling a trigger so I would be no good at all in that situation..

[Jordan.]

I'd take death over looking after 8 kids

[Ammi]

....that's fair enough Jordan, children aren't everyone's cup of tea and that's if you even want to make them into a beverage at all because it can be quite time consuming...

[lostalex]

NO one knows what they would do in extreme circumstances. Some people (usually men) who think they would be heroes cower and cry on videos begging for their lives when they are taken captive. Some people who you wouldn't expect can be the greatest heroes. There's no way to know how you would react unless you are in that position.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by lostalex

NO one knows what they would do in extreme circumstances. Some people (usually men) who think they would be heroes cower and cry on videos begging for their lives when they are taken captive. Some people who you wouldn't expect can be the greatest heroes. There's no way to know how you would react unless you are in that position.

..that's so very true, Alex...and also, when we look at hypothetical dilemmas, we're also in a 'calm mind' but in those real situations it would be a very panic/chaotic/emotional mind...it's still fun doing them though because they do make you think as well...

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by Josy

I know it's easy enough to say oh I would definitely torture and kill someone to save 8 kids but I don't know if I would actually be able to carry something like that out.

I would do it, and im serious.

[Kate!]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

I would do it, and im serious.

An innocent person?

[Kyle]

I've not got it in me to torture any living creature never mind a human. Morality is the most important thing to me.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by *Kate*

An innocent person?

they are going to die anyway, its not like your taking someones life as they are going to die in the morning.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

they are going to die anyway, its not like your taking someones life as they are going to die in the morning.

But you are. You still killed that person. By your hands. You can't mitigate it by saying ah they were going to die anyway. You would have killed that person. Would you be comfortable living out the rest of your days knowing that?

I think i would be signing my own death sentence. It would haunt me to the point I would have zero quality of life.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by Kyle

But you are. You still killed that person. By your hands. You can't mitigate it by saying ah they were going to die anyway. You would have killed that person. Would you be comfortable living out the rest of your days knowing that?

I think i would be signing my own death sentence. It would haunt me to the point I would have zero quality of life.

do nothing and they all die, do something and you and 8 children will live,

everything in life comes with a price, I would rather live with what I had done than die.

[Ammi]

..yeah, I agree..I couldn't do anything like that in any situation ever..I would be dead inside anyway if I did so there wouldn't be any life to live..that is probably the most selfish thing to do in a way because the 8 children would have a life..(or potentially, I wouldn't know for sure..)...but in extreme situations, I think perhaps sometimes we are selfish and self preserving..self preserving emotionally I mean, I'm not really sure but I just know myself what I mean and what my limitations are..

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

do nothing and they all die, do something and you and 8 children will live,

everything in life comes with a price, I would rather live with what I had done than die.

We are assuming that these terrorists would keep their word in this hypothetical scenario but Fair enough. It all comes down to personal morality.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by Kyle

We are assuming that these terrorists would keep their word in this hypothetical scenario but Fair enough. It all comes down to personal morality.

it does kyle, we can only take the op as it is,
I know where you are coming from.

in the real world people drink and drive and wipe out whole families.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

it does kyle, we can only take the op as it is,
I know where you are coming from.

in the real world people drink and drive and wipe out whole families.

And Sheriffs take the law into their own hands