Trolley problem

[Pyrrho]

Link: https://twitter.com/aSciEnthusiast/status/1121767925214515201

[Nyarlathotep]

The Trolley Problem has a very clear solution

[gnome]

Variations on this one eat at me a bit. In the "switch" version I would direct the train towards the fewer number of people with little hesitation. In the "push" version I would probably not push someone into the way. Though, the result is identical, and I have exactly as much control over the outcome in both cases.

I've really no idea why the distinction is so important to me. For now I just take it as a deconstruction of pure utilitarianism.

[gnome]

Oh yes--there's room for a MASSIVE false dichotomy. Outside of theoretical scenarios I'm sure it is difficult to be certain that there are no other options, or that any of the proposed options will work out as expected. I'm sure that's why a train is used--there's an image of inevitability that already puts the brain towards thinking inside the box.

[gnome]

Possibly the "prime directive" of any attempt to apply game theory to real-life scenarios is to look for the exploit, or even a cheat. RL has those, possibly more often than games. There are unmodeled factors.

[ceptimus]

I've really no idea why the distinction is so important to me. For now I just take it as a deconstruction of pure utilitarianism.

Throwing the switch, you only commit the minor crime of interfering with the property of the trolley company - and everyone would let you off because you save lives. Pushing the person under the trolley, you commit murder, and even though you still save lives, you're most likely to be subject to a lengthy and stressful trial at the very least.

[Rob Lister]

Variations on this one eat at me a bit. In the "switch" version I would direct the train towards the fewer number of people with little hesitation. In the "push" version I would probably not push someone into the way. Though, the result is identical, and I have exactly as much control over the outcome in both cases.

I've really no idea why the distinction is so important to me. For now I just take it as a deconstruction of pure utilitarianism.

You are the epitome of Chidi Anagonye in The Good Place.

[gnome]

My wife would probably appreciate it if I had his abs.

But maybe I am a little, only actually capable of making a decision.

So am I the white equivalent of the black guy with no "soul"?



0:38

[gnome]

There's that imperative to find a reality-based loophole. Within the purely philosophical construct, that's a cheat though, as much as announcing that you'll put a crash-proof shield on the victims--making assumptions beyond the premise.

[Pyrrho]

Link:

[gnome]

I've really no idea why the distinction is so important to me. For now I just take it as a deconstruction of pure utilitarianism.

Throwing the switch, you only commit the minor crime of interfering with the property of the trolley company - and everyone would let you off because you save lives. Pushing the person under the trolley, you commit murder, and even though you still save lives, you're most likely to be subject to a lengthy and stressful trial at the very least.

And yet, if I were promised immunity from prosecution or other consequences to myself, I would still struggle over the decision. So I don't think that's it.

[ceptimus]

Maybe the recurring nightmares about the guy you pushed would haunt you - whereas by doing nothing you can look the other way as the carnage ensues, and think, "I had nothing to do with it." Probably best if you get away from the trolley track before the impact occurs - perhaps there is a little coffee shop you can slip into.

[Anaxagoras]

This is kinda cool actually.

A psychological study on real live unsuspecting victims placed in the position of playing God.

[Pyrrho]

https://i.imgur.com/I7GogBY.jpg

[Pyrrho]

https://i.imgur.com/4gXMmS2.jpg

[shemp]

[Pyrrho]

https://twitter.com/sinsin08051/status/ ... 5862275075

[Hotarubi]

Can I have the backgrounds of the people on the tracks?

[Ben Trovado]

The one on the left is Robert, a 58 year-old accountant estranged from his adult son over his marriage's collapse 17 years back. Recently, he has begun worrying about his alcohol intake and his thinning hair. He has had to take a loan from his IRA to help his older sister, who broke her hip on some stairs and has no kids of her own any more.

One the left:
Marcy, a 37 year-old district manager from Whole Foods, who thinks that someone within the company is stealing from the stock room.

Rinny - a 19 year-old hoping to get into UCLA on a music scholarship. He has 3 younger siblings and works part-time at a local restaurant to help his mother.

Deighton - 40 year-old heir to the famous Digby Staple fortune, is secretly in love with his accountant, the frankly blond Simone.

Doug and Bob - Metropolitan policemen . . . with a difference.

[Hotarubi]

Any coldplay fans? It all comes down to that at the end of the day

[Doctor X]

Would anyone bother to tie them to train tracks when beating them with baseball/cricket bats is so much more satisfying?

– J.D.

[Pyrrho]

They are a BDSM group.

[Pyrrho]

Yes I should be asleep.

[Ben Trovado]

Would a trolley even have the momentum and force to run over multiple people?

Or should we bring a finisher to be sure?