12 Nov 11, 01:52PM
You're on a train heading north, there's 5 workers on the track, it's too late to do anything about this (won't be able to brake in time, there's absolutely nothing you can do) and you're going to kill them.
However, you still could turn the train to the track on the right, but there's 1 worker there and you would surely kill him.
What do you do? Do the ends justify the means... and to add to all this, once you've answered, consider this question:
Imagine you're a man, on an railway over-bridge seeing all this about to unfold... Imagine in this situation, the train isn't turning. There's not much you can do, BUT, a fat man walking past who weighs a tonne, he could be pushed over the bridge, on to the tracks... and from your scientific knowledge, you know with absolute certainty, this would kill him, but would stop the train, saving the 5 men.
What do you do? Do the ends justify the means?
(.. and if all this vaguely interested you, I took it from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY )
However, you still could turn the train to the track on the right, but there's 1 worker there and you would surely kill him.
What do you do? Do the ends justify the means... and to add to all this, once you've answered, consider this question:
Imagine you're a man, on an railway over-bridge seeing all this about to unfold... Imagine in this situation, the train isn't turning. There's not much you can do, BUT, a fat man walking past who weighs a tonne, he could be pushed over the bridge, on to the tracks... and from your scientific knowledge, you know with absolute certainty, this would kill him, but would stop the train, saving the 5 men.
What do you do? Do the ends justify the means?
(.. and if all this vaguely interested you, I took it from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY )