Moral dilemmas

[Captante]

(1) Yes

(2) No

 

[Number1]

1: YES Analogy if I drive a car and I am about to crash into a crowd unless I swerve and hit one person, I would swerve.

2: NO

 

[Chiropteran]

A runaway paint truck is hurtling down the interstate towards a school bus full of 4th graders. If the truck hits the school bus, all of the 4th graders will die. You have the option to watch star wars: episode 1 the phantom menace, or back to the future. Which movie do you watch?

 

[huberm]

#1 is flawed because we do not know if the 5 people are innocent. You say the other man is innocent, what about the 5?

 

[Skunkwourk]

no and no, aren't they the same?

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: iamaelephant
I have two moral dilemmas that I'd like to share with you. Please vote for your answer in the poll, and post with a reason for your answer. If there is a discrepancy in your answers (yes for one, no for another) please state the reason, if any.

First dilemma:
A runaway train is hurtling down a track towards a group of 5 people. If the train is allowed to continue down this track, all five of these people will certainly die. You have the option to flick a switch which causes the train to veer onto another track, but there is an innocent man standing on this track who will be killed. Do you flick the switch? Ignore hypothetical situations involving the man being a great scientist or a family member/friend etc.

Second dilemma:
Five patients are in the same hospital, all suffering organ failures, each person a different organ. They will certainly die if a donor can't be found. There are teams of world-class surgeons waiting for donor organs and their lives would certainly be saved, but there are no organs available. A healthy man is seen in the waiting room. Would you kill this man to take his organs? Again ignore hypothetical situations involving the man's family, history etc.

Are you either the innocent man or the healthy man? If so, I answer yes to both.

 

[gotsmack]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran
A runaway paint truck is hurtling down the interstate towards a school bus full of 4th graders. If the truck hits the school bus, all of the 4th graders will die. You have the option to watch star wars: episode 1 the phantom menace, or back to the future. Which movie do you watch?

Back to the Future. Edpisode 1 was crap.

 

[Compton]

Originally posted by: Number1
1: YES Analogy if I drive a car and I am about to crash into a crowd unless I swerve and hit one person, I would swerve.

2: NO

Thats only a problem if you drive your car down railroad tracks.

 

[Fox5]

1. No. If they're standing on a train track in the path of an oncoming train (and are conscious) then should know what to expect. The man on the track the train doesn't travel on wouldn't.

2. No. The fact that they all have organ failure means they're unhealthy and probably have severely shortened lifespans even if they get a new organ. Possibly old age or additional organ failure could occur.

 

[gotsmack]

Originally posted by: Fox5
1. No. If they're standing on a train track in the path of an oncoming train (and are conscious) then should know what to expect. The man on the track the train doesn't travel on wouldn't.

2. No. The fact that they all have organ failure means they're unhealthy and probably have severely shortened lifespans even if they get a new organ. Possibly old age or additional organ failure could occur.

No thats more like 5 people run into the highway as you are driving.

Do you hit them or swerve and kill the guy on the motorcycle in the next lane.

 

[Fox5]

Whether it's a highway or a train track, the people should know what travels on them, and probably hear/see it.

As for the people running in front of your car, you would naturally swerve, and you don't have to hit the motor cycle, you could run off the road.

 

[skyking]

no and no.
There is no shortage of people.