you come across a fork in train tracks. on the path that the train is currently set to follow is a group of thirty kids that are tied to the tracks (i dunno what kind of sadistic person would take so much time to do that, but i guess it's possible). on the other fork there are two kids tied to the tracks. you have two options, let the train follow its course and run over thirty kids, or pull the lever to change the course and the train will run over two kids as opposed to thirty. what would you do?
a interesting moral dilemma involving kids and trains
- Thread starter jhuang
- Start date
jhuang said:
Really, there's no problem/dilemma here at all. Assuming the train to be absolutely impossible to stop, the answer is clearly obvious.
You might also do well to realize that while this situation sounds entirely ficticious on the surface, it actually describes something that many military leaders have had to face several times over.
Light said:
Yes, that's been true all through history. But people don't like to discuss reality, they like to make discussions so filled with psycho-babble that they don't have to actually answer the question! Personally, I think that's so like humans ...ignoring the actual, preferring to put off any distasteful decision for as long as possible.
Baron Max
I'd let the train go wherever it was first intended to go. It was God's will to allow those kids to die for some purpose. Perhaps so they may ascend to heaven and sit by his side.
If God really wanted to save them, he would have. Do not question God's will. I am but a servant to God so I cannot interfere with his wishes for I do not want to burn eternally in the depths of Hell.
/sarcasm
- N
If God really wanted to save them, he would have. Do not question God's will. I am but a servant to God so I cannot interfere with his wishes for I do not want to burn eternally in the depths of Hell.
/sarcasm
- N
Some people on this forum (no need to mention names sadly) would first check the 'race' of the children. If the 30 children were all black and the 2 white then they would let the train run over the 30 black children, since nothing good will apparently come out of them. And the 2 white children will become part of the hardwoking middleclass with proper values.
It gets tricky when the 2 white children are gay. Then they would let the 30 black children be run over by the train, reverse the train, switch tracks and run over the 2 gay ones.
It gets tricky when the 2 white children are gay. Then they would let the 30 black children be run over by the train, reverse the train, switch tracks and run over the 2 gay ones.
Well, that kind of ruins my day.