Imagine that you are on a runaway rail car and the brakes have failed. You overlook the path in front of you and realize that you are going to run over a group of ten people. There is no warning horn and they will not be able to hear you coming.
However, you realize that there is another railway to switch to but there is a man stuck on the track. If you are to switch the rail car to the alternate track, the stuck man will certainly be killed. Conversely, if you choose to not move the rail car on the alternative track, the ten people will certainly be killed.
The rules here are that you have to choose between deliberately killing the stuck man or doing nothing, in which case the ten people will die. You cannot pick some alternative solution such as jumping off the rail car or killing yourself.
Don't debate whether the ten people or the one man are good or bad people, or whether you know any of the people personally.
You know nothing about any of them except that they are on the track.
So the question is;
Do you kill the one stuck man in order to save ten? He is but one and the ten are many. However, if you were not present on the rail car, the ten men would die anyway. You have the power to choose who lives and who dies. The ten men are already in the path. Should they be the ones to die? Who are you to choose the fate of either choice?
Do you use your free will to deliberately kill the man who would have remained alive, or do you decide you cannot take such a responsibility, and just let fate happen.
Free will or fate?. Which do you choose, and why?
However, you realize that there is another railway to switch to but there is a man stuck on the track. If you are to switch the rail car to the alternate track, the stuck man will certainly be killed. Conversely, if you choose to not move the rail car on the alternative track, the ten people will certainly be killed.
The rules here are that you have to choose between deliberately killing the stuck man or doing nothing, in which case the ten people will die. You cannot pick some alternative solution such as jumping off the rail car or killing yourself.
Don't debate whether the ten people or the one man are good or bad people, or whether you know any of the people personally.
You know nothing about any of them except that they are on the track.
So the question is;
Do you kill the one stuck man in order to save ten? He is but one and the ten are many. However, if you were not present on the rail car, the ten men would die anyway. You have the power to choose who lives and who dies. The ten men are already in the path. Should they be the ones to die? Who are you to choose the fate of either choice?
Do you use your free will to deliberately kill the man who would have remained alive, or do you decide you cannot take such a responsibility, and just let fate happen.
Free will or fate?. Which do you choose, and why?
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