Latest Announcemnent
New thread

Greate Debate: Would you kill to save?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Benign

Benign

Banned
Banned
744
2008
6
0
You are walking along a railroad line when you come upon a fork in the track and switch. There are five workers on the track and one workers on the other track. Suddenly, you realize that a trolley car is hurtling along and is about to hit and kill the five workers unless you throw the switch and divert the car down the other branch, killing the one worker instead. Kill one to save five.

Would you throw the switch? Most people said they would.

In the second scenario, instead of coming upon a switch, you happen across a bridge where there is a large man standing next to you. The trolley is once again speeding down the track and is about to hit and kill the five workers, unless you push the large man onto the track, killing him but stopping the car. Kill one to save five.

Would you throw the man? Most people say that they would not!
 
Last edited:
34 comments
workers mate.. that confused me.. :P

The answer is simple. It is easier to flip a switch and bare the consequences, then do something bad to do something good. Ok, flipping the switch is also resulting in a bad thing, but you don't "feel" it first hand.
 
I think I definitely would kill one to save five. Sure, killing is killing but having one dead rather than five is a better situation in my opinion.
 
As Slim answered, the situation is so simple, and for some pple, it needs a prior thinking, or they might make a stupid decision that time.

Have you watched House ? Season one I think, episode 1 ( I'm not sure though ) when he has to test different drugs among 4 children ( babies to be more specific ), death of one of the children is a certain result that House knows about prior to the treatment and even though he continued with it.

It's always simple, weigh the result, and then you are forced to act upon it, and in such cases, not upon your feelings, and if you can't beat your feelings in the right time, then I'm sorry for you, neither the train nor the car killed the men, but it was you
 
Would you still be charged with murder for killing 1 person? I think so.


That person's family is going to press charges on you, I doubt they will care that you saved 5 by killing him. You killed their loved one
 
The correct answer is do not touch anything. If you do your legally responsible for the death of 1 or 5 people. Close your eyes and run the other way.
 
Hmm if I go by my beliefs then I wouldn't flip the switch or push the guy. If I didn't know the workers it would be easier to not push my assumed big friend onto the track since after all he is standing next to me...

If I did either I would be a murderer. If I leave it be then it was fate that killed them and not my self regardless of the scenario. If I hadn't been there they would have died anyway. But, in all actual reality you can hear a trolley coming for at least a 1/4 mile away so chances are i'd have time to scream at the idiots for standing on the track to get off the track. But assuming they were deaf i'd probably run to the switch and move it then run ahead and knock the single idiot off the track saving everyone.

However... If my big friend was a cannibal i'd probably let the trolley take out the five guys so he would have a good dinner and think twice about eating me.
 
I would just run away.

run_man.gif
 
Whatever people's moral beliefs most would probably think of legal repercussions and turn their backs. But it's always easier to answer a hypothetical question than predict what you might do under pressure in the real circumstances.

Now, if it was tins of beer about to be wasted - Hell, I'd even chuck iMage off the bridge to save an extra 4! :P
 
Do your job and let the higher authority bear the consequences, and if there's anything can be done according to the manual book then go with it.
 
barcodenation said:
If I did either I would be a murderer. If I leave it be then it was fate that killed them and not my self regardless of the scenario. If I hadn't been there they would have died anyway.

However... If my big friend was a cannibal i'd probably let the trolley take out the five guys so he would have a good dinner and think twice about eating me.
Click to expand...

1- Screw laws, use common sense, which end you prefer ?

2- But you are there, and if you humanity can live with such decision, then I'm sorry for you. And btw, if everybody ain't adding anything good for this world, what is the use of their exist ? what is the purpose of their living ?<_<


3- Doesn't the rest deserve a dinner with their family as well ? 5 of them, not one :|
 
I think we should keep legal repercussions out of this scenario as it's purely hypothetical and it's broad so it won't go into depth. Like if you did factor in things like legal repercussions then you would then have to think about if the people are good or not, are they old, are they sick, etc.
 
I would do nothing. Its not my problem. They are workers and should be looking out. But I would yell and be like "hey look out". Also. lets say you throw the switch. but the 5 guys were paying attention and still got out of the way or at least noticed. and then other guy (that you just killed) still doesnt move. throwing the switch just made you a killer. theres more to say, but i just wouldnt do anything
 
TheTorrentSeller said:
1- Screw laws, use common sense, which end you prefer ?

2- But you are there, and if you humanity can live with such decision, then I'm sorry for you. And btw, if everybody ain't adding anything good for this world, what is the use of their exist ? what is the purpose of their living ?<_<


3- Doesn't the rest deserve a dinner with their family as well ? 5 of them, not one :|
Click to expand...

Not everyone wants to do 25 yrs to Life in prison! If you would like to spend the rest of your life in Jail because you are a murderer then that's up to you, is a different story when you have a chance to save them all and sacrifice yourself, but sacrifice someone else? that person also has a family just like the other 5 workers do.
 
There is no way to answer either. Sure, it is easy to say yes, but would you actually if it was happening in real life? not sure until it happens...
 
bxflow said:
Not everyone wants to do 25 yrs to Life in prison! If you would like to spend the rest of your life in Jail because you are a murderer then that's up to you, is a different story when you have a chance to save them all and sacrifice yourself, but sacrifice someone else? that person also has a family just like the other 5 workers do.
Click to expand...

First, any lawyer can get your ass out of there, death is a certain, but the number isn't, and this decision saves some lives, and you still think you will be guilty ?

Second, that person has a family!!!!! are you kidding me ? The rest Don't have families as well ? I didn't say he doesn't deserve to live, or I have the choice who should live, it's about the right thing to do.

If there is an army, and that army has the duty to protect 2 cities, one of them has like 10 million civilian, and the other has 50 million, which city should the army protect if he doesn't have the time to protect both ?

It's common sense, and accusing them ( the army soldiers ) as murderers are out of mind, Dot


I'm out of this discussion, as I can see a lot of you care about his life the most, not about others' as well
 
NO and NO.

5 bodies for 1 body if they were dead would be an easy choice.

We do not any of these people or their worth. So who are we to decide to give up any of their lives. The one may help a million people in his lifetime and the five may end up to be scammers on WJ.

If it were a choice to save 5 friends with my life a different decision would be made. Choosing yourself as the one to die is an acceptable choice and one that is yours to make.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top