I have recently watched a hilarious and thought-provoking youtube channel podcast called "What you thinking, hun?" On this cast, the host presented the question:
Let's suppose there is a train chugging toward a branch on the tracks - on the first branch: five people tied up. On the second: one person tied up. The train is rushing straight for the five people and they will surely perish, should the train reach them. Let's say you are in some kind of control room where you have the power to switch the train's direction and have it run over (and kill) the one person, instead. What will you do?
Now, first of all, let's get this out of the way: this is a sick question / supposition (not in the "tight, dude! sweet!" kind of way, but in the "oh, my godddd..." drawn-out, Mrs. Peacock kind of way). At first strike, I think "who has the time to think of these things??" but am immediately shot down from the thought when I recall the time my mother thought my OCD Rules were because I "had too much time on my hands", which certainly wasn't true. Then I recall any time someone (usually my mother again) will wonder how / why on earth I have come up with a certain thought / ponderance (not a word, but maybe some day it could be). It's simply because I think a little differently than that incredulous individual. No right, no wrong, just different.
And now that we've gotten that out the way: My next jaded-humanoid reaction is to be suspicious of the question-proposer and that there must be an inherently "correct" answer. That this person must be asking me this only because he has learned a riddle, found the secret-yet-in-plain-sight-answer and is now seeing if I pass the test. This reaction is gross, and I wish I didn't have it. It makes me feel stupid and like one of those people who have conspiracy theories just to seem clever when in reality they are a few shy and fight like hell to mask it. Sometimes sheep aren't the only sheep, eh?
So! Now that I've irritated and offended a decent chunk of people who are likely too insecure to digest most new information and/or thought due to their salivating need to find something to clap back at: Let's get to it, shall we?
As I understand: there is no right or wrong answer. This is simply a gear-turner, a social experiment, something of the like. And obviously this would be an incredibly unlikely scenario as well as one most (if not all) would be completely unable to prepare for. In other words: "You don't know! You weren't THERE!" as the control room person shakes a reporter by the lapels.
I believe I would leave the handle alone (allow the train to run over the five). This is because - in my own, twisted, guilt-addled mind - one of my survival tools (living with detrimental disorders) is the strange and often inaccurate justification of my own actions and lack thereof. I have to make up my own rules or I will never make it to my next vacation (and I was planning on Hawaii!). In this specific scenario, I would think: "Well I didn't touch anything, at least I didn't do it" which obviously begs at least further argument. We all learned about sticking up for others in elementary school. See something, say something. But there is a fine line (with most things). Not to mention: I live a very active life of "Lesser of Two Evils". (I will keep smoking cigarettes because I like them, but stay away from hard drugs. Also, I will be polite when smoking and not blow it in other's faces / leave my butts on the foliage???) As such, I would argue that:
Me, watching something bad happen is less shitty than me making something bad happen.
To me, the number of people killed would make no difference in that scenario when we get down to the argument of consciousness. If a man killed one man on purpose, it wouldn't be "less bad" than him killing three. It's just "even worse" if he killed three.
Of course, when you do get down to it - I feel as though the answers will simply come down to which strange self-soothing method you've come up with to clumsily justify yourself.
Just Thinking.
***later edit***
I just realized - I never even got into the thought I had originally intended: Often times the individual being asked this question will ask: "who are the individuals tied to the tracks?" They will ask: "Is the one person tied my mother? Or a stranger? Are the five people tied criminals who committed heinous, unspeakable acts?" This is incredible to me. I did not have this thought and, upon further pondering, I must say; I don't think it matters. Sure, it may matter to you - it matters to me if my family is alive or dead more than it would, say, an unspeakably heinous criminal. But this mattering is closer to an opinion / subjective than it is an equalizer / deciding factor / scale-tipper of what is Right and Wrong. But perhaps the individual asking whether their mother is on the tracks or not is not interested in being Right / doing The Right Thing in this particular instance. In which case, I would say, is incredibly genuine / self-actualized of them. To realize (and admit!) so easily / immediately that they (realistically) would not give a flying fuck about the strangers on the track if it meant their mother was at stake / in peril.
I must say, realistically? I may not be so righteous, either. Given the horrible opportunity, I would likely turn in favor of my loved ones. God knows I have in less-perilous situations.
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