# Who would you kill?



## Grunfur (Oct 23, 2011)

This is a classic utilitarianism question: the trolley problem. Please select your choice.

There is a runaway trolley barrelling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. Unfortunately, you notice that there is one person on the side track who you are close to (friend, family member etc). You do not have the ability to operate the lever in a way that would cause the trolley to derail without loss of life (for example, holding the lever in an intermediate position so that the trolley goes between the two sets of tracks, or pulling the lever after the front wheels pass the switch, but before the rear wheels do). You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill the one person you are close to. What is your choice?


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## Belzy (Aug 12, 2013)

That's easy. I will do nothing. I'm not going to kill someone I am close with, who actually is not even on the wrong track. It definatly feels like killing if I am actually pulling something to make a last second switch that surprises that person.

And also because I always hestitate, so I will either end up making no choice or the choice to do nothing. Though, in this matter, I wouldn't think of killing a close one.


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## OldManRivers (Mar 22, 2012)

I do not know about the first death(s) but the follow-up is the sorry son of a bitch that rigged the test. That one is mine.


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## 0+n*1 (Sep 20, 2013)

AAADD said:


> That's easy. I will do nothing. I'm not going to kill someone I am close with, who actually is not even on the wrong track. It definatly feels like killing if I am actually pulling something to make a last second switch that surprises that person.
> 
> And also because I always hestitate, so I will either end up making no choice or the choice to do nothing. Though, in this matter, I wouldn't think of killing a close one.


What if it were the other way around? Does it turn more difficult?


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## Tranquility (Dec 16, 2013)

I wouldn't be able to pull the lever. If the passive result would be the close person, I wouldn't pull it either. I cannot commit an action that would kill someone. I can only do inaction, which is easy, considering my defense mechanism is 'freeze'.


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## Belzy (Aug 12, 2013)

Mr.Rbtoo said:


> What if it were the other way around? Does it turn more difficult?


It may, while I am not very decisive, I will keep hestitating, but I hope and think I will save the close one either way. That person is worth _to me _more than five strangers. It may sound harsh, but it's only human to feel that way. Every day many people die. If today died 18 people and I knew nobody of them, nothing changes in my life. If today ''only'' 12 people died including someone I am close to, it may hurt me emotionally a lot.

This new situation may make me feel more awful though. For the reasons I've mentioned in my previous post, it will make me feel responsible for those people's deaths. At least in the original situation I can tell myself that it was their fault to be on the track, and that I cannot save everyone at that moment.

Pretty sure my intuition puts the attention to saving the person I am close with, while that's the strongest fear (to see that person die).


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## Psychophant (Nov 29, 2013)

I must admit, I think my impulse would always be to save the person close to me. As others have noted though, that's made very easy in this case since you arguably have less culpability in the scenario where you simply do nothing, rather than pull the switch that will ultimately result in someone's death.


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## Ugunti (Oct 10, 2013)

I'd pull the switch and kill one person.


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## Grunfur (Oct 23, 2011)

AAADD said:


> That's easy. I will do nothing. I'm not going to kill someone I am close with, who actually is not even on the wrong track. It definatly feels like killing if I am actually pulling something to make a last second switch that surprises that person.
> 
> And also because I always hestitate, so I will either end up making no choice or the choice to do nothing. Though, in this matter, I wouldn't think of killing a close one.


I've considered that. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. In the end you know who is going to die. A or B. If you don't change anything, A dies by default. You're letting fate decide for you. It wouldn't necessarily be killing though, because regardless of if you are on it someone would still die. It is simply your choice who dies exactly.


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

I'm selfish and _very_ attached to the people who I am close to. Sorry 5 strangers, you're dead meat.


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## Belzy (Aug 12, 2013)

Grunfur said:


> I've considered that. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. In the end you know who is going to die. A or B. If you don't change anything, A dies by default. You're letting fate decide for you. It wouldn't necessarily be killing though, because regardless of if you are on it someone would still die. It is simply your choice who dies exactly.


Can I fake an injury?


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## CorrosiveThoughts (Dec 2, 2013)

Request an orbital strike on the trolley.


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## SkittlesButterface (Apr 17, 2014)

I call on my trusty luck dragon, who swiftly swoops down and saves everybody.
Obviously.


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## Zayel (Apr 20, 2014)

SkittlesButterface said:


> I call on my trusty luck dragon, who swiftly swoops down and saves everybody.
> Obviously.


Haha... I second that 
Otherwise than this answer, I also would rather let the five strangers meet their maker.
Reason: Because that one close person might the only important person in my life.


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## smokeafish (Jun 21, 2014)

I'd pull the switch, see if I could live with myself, (probably) if not kill myself, still saved lives, only exception is if it was her, assuming it is, too bad for the five randomers, I'd happily, just for the sake of full disclosure, switch places with her and switch the tracks to give my life for the five, I may be 21 but I've lived a life more epic than most forty year olds, I don't fear death and I'd rather five people live than one
intp btw


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

From a completely objective point of view it doesn't matter either way. Hell, it doesn't even matter if we all die in that train. However, if I had to choose I'd choose to not think about situations that have a very low probability of happening.


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## aendern (Dec 28, 2013)

It really depends 100% on the close person.

There are some close people whom, given the option, I would allow to die to save the five strangers.

But then there are other close people whom, given the option, I would let live.



Promethea said:


> I'm selfish and _very_ attached to the people who I am close to. Sorry 5 strangers, you're dead meat.


Plus you don't know if the five strangers are murderers, rapists, politicians, etc. They could be anyone. But you know the people you're close to.


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## stargazing grasshopper (Oct 25, 2013)

So long as I don't affect the outcome, I've killed nobody because I didn't cause the circumstances that caused the runaway trolley. 

Not to self justify my inaction but the 5 strangers could be evil individuals for all I know, their fate is the consequence of somebody else's actions & I'll always choose those close to me rather than strangers.


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

It depends on if anybody would know about it. 

But it's still pretty easy. I would save a close person. Countless people die everyday, and it means nothing to the vast, vast majority of the planet. I understand those other people are the center of somebody else's world. I know it will destroy many people beyond those who actually die. I realize all that. I am not taking it lightly. But of course I'm gonna save my mother or father, or a close friend.


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## L'Enfant Terrible (Jun 8, 2014)

emberfly said:


> It really depends 100% on the close person.
> 
> There are some close people whom, given the option, I would allow to die to save the five strangers.
> 
> ...


"murderers,rapists,politicians.." - made my day


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## mikan (May 25, 2014)

5 people.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

1. I'm not "killing" anyone, I'm being forced to choose to save others(s) while letting other(s) die. 

2. I have a hard time with such hypothetical scenarios because I live on making snap decisions based upon the possibilities available to me at the moment. I've never encountered a situation where the odds between success of one choice over the other are likely to be _exactly_ 50/50. I'm likely to make a decision based upon which has the better odds of my efforts being successful. 

3. All other things being equal, I would have to save the many over the one.


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## InsanityAware (Jun 21, 2014)

Would kill one close person, its more rational.


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## InsanityAware (Jun 21, 2014)

tanstaafl28 said:


> 1. I'm not "killing" anyone, I'm being forced to choose to save others(s) while letting other(s) die.
> 
> 2. I have a hard time with such hypothetical scenarios because I live on making snap decisions based upon the possibilities available to me at the moment. I've never encountered a situation where the odds between success of one choice over the other are likely to be _exactly_ 50/50. I'm likely to make a decision based upon which has the better odds of my efforts being successful.
> 
> 3. All other things being equal, I would have to save the many over the one.


I really hate ENTPs


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## Glory (Sep 28, 2013)

the number doesn't change the nature of the crime... but naturally you would be more inclined to *not* kill someone close to you, is there even any question?


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

InsanityAware said:


> I really hate ENTPs



Sometimes I even hate myself (not very often, but it does happen). Besides, we're the "intellectual cousins" of INTPs.


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## Mendi the ISFJ (Jul 28, 2011)

Id do nothing and the 5 strangers would die. I cannot accept the guilt of being the cause of death for the person i know. I did not tie the 5 people nor cause the trolley to be running towards them so its not really my fault. Sorry strangers!


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## Mendi the ISFJ (Jul 28, 2011)

InsanityAware said:


> Would kill one close person, its more rational.


remind me to not become close with you


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

I'd pretend the lever never did that to begin with and walk away guilt free.
People die every day, shit happens all the time.
It not as if I have a responsibility to sacrifice because others may suffer.
Same attitude I have for people collecting money on the street.
I'm supposed to sacrifice my energy, because someone else may be saved.
The loss in this scenario is arguably more serious, but the issue is only different in degree.
In principle it is the same moral problem.
Am I willing to sacrifice some of mine for a complete stranger who is in trouble.
I'm not going out of my way to help, unless it is a fellow conuntryman.
I'm sort of required by law to stop and help those I suppose.
At the cost of my own time and energy.
If I don't help in many cases I might feel like shit.
So self deception comes in handy.
This is after all an imperfect world and hanging onto ideals about goodness will only hurt myself.
Reality don't care about your ideals.


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## ForsakenMe (Aug 30, 2010)

The five strangers, and then live a life fill with regret and guilt. That will be my punishment.


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## Nekomata (May 26, 2012)

No hesitation over this. The 5 strangers _must_ die, at all costs <.<;


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## InsanityAware (Jun 21, 2014)

That depends, i would kill one close family member or person, but i would kill 1 billion people for the person i am in love with.


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