Difficult....
Ok, I need your comments on this one. Tell me what you would do in the following case:
It involves a runaway trolley, five helplesspeople on the track, and a large-framed man looking on from afootbridge. He may or may not be about to tumble to his bloody demise:You get to make the call.That's because in this scenario, you are standing on the footbridge,too. You know that if you push the large man off the bridge onto thetracks, his body will stop the trolley before it kills the five people on the tracks. Of course, he will die in the process. So the questionis: Is it morally permissible to kill the man in order to save five others?
Please tell me your answer and also the mood you were in before reading this. There is two scenario's. The next one will follow in a few days after feedback.
It involves a runaway trolley, five helplesspeople on the track, and a large-framed man looking on from afootbridge. He may or may not be about to tumble to his bloody demise:You get to make the call.That's because in this scenario, you are standing on the footbridge,too. You know that if you push the large man off the bridge onto thetracks, his body will stop the trolley before it kills the five people on the tracks. Of course, he will die in the process. So the questionis: Is it morally permissible to kill the man in order to save five others?
Please tell me your answer and also the mood you were in before reading this. There is two scenario's. The next one will follow in a few days after feedback.
posted by Ruan | 11:39 AM
12 Comments:
I will push the man to save the other people, only if I am guarenteed that it will work, because what is the use if everyone dies in the end? But I would like to save the rest. Although morally I don't think it is justifiable, cause life is life.
Before answering this - I just had a very stressfull day in bussiness*
Ps: hoop dit help
jollie*
Hi, het vir E gevra en hy sê ook eties moet jy maar self spring. Jammer Ruan, ons het jou lief gehad!! ;-) Is dit vir 'n taak?
There are many possibilities of looking at this - firstly, assuming you are big enough to stop the trolley yourself and feel so compelled to help - then I agree with chrismpitzer - Jump Yourself, and if you are religious, pray that you will not be fatally injured.
If you are not either of the above, yet you feel compelled to help - push the man off the bridge. If he's religious, he can pray for his survival and hopefully save the other five peoples' lives.
But, if you think like I do and believe that your time to die is your time die and that you cannot cheat death, you would leave the man on the footbridge to watch and make his own decision and you would walk away. After all, if those five people have made peace with God - they are going to a way better place than you currently find yourself.
I forgot to add, I was just starting work when I blogged my comment, so I cannot say that I was in either a good / bad / depressed / angry state of mind. The adjective I would use to describe my mood would be complacent.
Regards
Priscilla
no. it is never morally permissible to do this. if you think someone must die to save others, you should be the person to volunteer.
life is not a numbers game.
if you had to choose between saving a group or an individual, then that choice might well be motivated by an attempt to save the most people possible. but the large man in this scenario is in no danger unless you decide to murder him.
mood: calm yet busy
Linda
At worst, If it were me, I'd jump in front of the trolley and give up my own chance at life. That way none of the above are killed or hurt.
Mood, Calm and busy
Lee
hey dude, You would walk away with the guy and get a beer, because some time soon the run away trolley will reach a hill and the trolley will come to a stop and they can get out of the trolley So if you pushed him he would have died for nothing.
Why put yourself in such a position? One can always pretend to predict their actions, reactions and behaviours, but when the time comes it is a matter of instinct and reflex.
Sorry, not too helpful but I don't really believe in uni questions like this :)
My mood: a happt little bugger on the road hitchhiking somewhere in Oz
Hey guys,
Thanks for the comments. The next scenario will follow soon. Marius, this is a ethics class project, not me thinking out shit out of my thumb.hehe. Keep them coming!
Ruan
Why are the five people helpless on the track? Why can I not just shout out and get the help of the man to scream with me to get the five people off the track? WHy do I get to define that they are helpless and therefore worth killing some man who has the sense to stay off the tracks? Also, why do I know that his body will really stop the trolley? I mean, likely it will not, it will slow it but keep going and maybe take out the other five too..Then what? And are they not visible to the trolley driver? Why is he not trying to brake?
And is it morally permissible? By who's definition? A court of law? It might be manslaughter or you might be a hero depending on the judge. Your own moral compass can have so many answers depending on more detail in that situation. Problem is, it is easy to reflect but you can't really know what your real response would be until in that moment. It might not be about morals but just a reflective instinct to save five people..But I would assume most people would try other routes before randomly pushing someone off the bridge, likely jump themselves if shouting for the others to move and using your cell to contact the trolley company if you know the number, calling the police, etc, didn't work.
Mood? Neutral..a little sleepy.
Sjoekoe, dis 'n tawwe ene... Kannie help om te wonder hoekom die vyf mense nie net kan uitspring nie en ek het my bedenkinge oor of die vet man werklik die oplossing sal wees.
Maar ok, ek gaan aanvaar die gegewens is vas. As ek met sekerheid weet dat dit die ander mense sal red, sal ek die man stamp, anders nie.
Daar is ook baie ander dinge wat ek sal oorweeg... Is dit jong mense/ kinders in die waentjie en die ouderdom van die man?
Die etiese ding om te doen sal natuurlik wees om self te spring.
Ek glo nie die lewe van vyf mense heilig die dood van 'n ander nie, maar wie weet regtig hoe 'n mens in so 'n situasie sal reageer?
Wonderwerke gebeur nog, so ek sal vir een hoop.
Julle doen moeilike werk, perdjie. Sterkte. Hoop al die menings bring jou nader aan 'n antwoord.
tata
Sorry, my mood: neutraal, bietjie lusteloos, jy weet, die gewone Maandag-soort...
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