What Would You Do?

What would you do? (See below for scenario details)

  • I would sacrifice the little girl

    Votes: 8 57.1%

  • I would let the train run off the cliff

    Votes: 6 42.9%
  • Total voters
    14
I voted for second option "let the trian to run off a chiff". Reason: Leaving train on God's mercy, I should save the little girl coz she needs someone else to help her. I must inform before pulling the lever, so people inside the train should try to save them in whatever they could do for themsleves or to jump out.
 
@ Alex

no way man, I'm not making that mistake again... this time, there are ZERO specifics!!!
 
c0de said:
Hey V,

I thought about a better way to phrase it:

Suppose you had a choice which forced you to commit a sin in order to bring benefit to a bunch of people, would you commit the sin?
Click to expand...

Namaste code,

thanks for the post.

fair enough.. the first scenario was too deterministic for me.. to contrived if you will :)

the problem with the current proposition is that i have no idea what a "sin" actually is. if you mean something like "commit an action which violates ones own ethical standard" then i could probably take a go at it.

usually monotheistic beings have something else in mind by the term sin. usually it means circumventing some specific stricture which is imposed by ones religious orientation towards said deity. given that i lack this sort of orientation answering a "sin" question is inherently impossible for me within that context.

if, for instance, i was on a ferry boat with 200 other people i had found the captains notes that stated he was going to kill all 201 of us in our sleep and, when we were all asleep he seemed about to go through with it, i would kill the ferry captain to save everyone else and take the consequences for that action upon myself. however i'm probably doing it for a reason quite different from what it may seem.

i'm not doing it to save the other 200 people or myself, i'm doing it to save the ferry boat captain from the consequences of his actions, his karma/vipaka, that would come about from his actions of killing all of us.

metta,

~v
 
Last edited:
@ Vajra

You're right, and I understand your position, this is why I think there should be three options:

A) Yes, I will choose to bend the laws
B) No, I will not choose to break God's commandment
C) There is no "sin" and virtue is defined by the benefit derived from consequences of our actions

Where A, B & C equal:

A = Rationalist position
B = "Devout" position
C = Position of "unbelievers" from the perspective of revealed religions
 
p.s.

I am watching this Harvard lecture series on morality and it begins
with the same example as in the poll, only he doesn't screw it up like I did :/

Its kool to see all our answers reflected in the audience's rationalizations.
Made me think I should post it here.

[youtube]kBdfcR-8hEY[/youtube]
 
I haven't gone back thru this whole thread to see what all we discussed, but I do remember you posted this just after I had received a similar email...one dies or all on the train die...

And the story was about Jesus...how G!d chose to sacrifice his son to save the world.... And then of course there is a discussion in the Christ Commission by Og Mandino, whereby there is discussion and conjecture that these rebel jews were pissing off rome and if we sacrifice their leader, it will take the heat off the whole clan.
 
wil said:
I do remember you posted this just after I had received a similar email...
Click to expand...

synchronicity eh?

kool

i wuz just thinkin about that today....

wait... now that's spooky
 
c0de
thanks for posting that lecture; it has lots of other interesting ones, l like these university links to watch.
This thread was great and you did well to follow, guide and keep it on 'track':)
 
The dilemma is presented exactly,tough in an entirely diffeentform, in the novel The Cruel Sea (and the movie as well).

In it the captain of the frigate Compass Rose has a U-boat in sight, below the surface, where his depth charges can destroy it: on the surface above are a number of British sailors who have abandoned another ship as it sank. To kill the sub kills the British sailors as well; to save the sailors lets the sub escape to sink other ships.

The captian opts to sink the sub, killing his coutrymen in the process. Later his only comment is, "you do what you have to do, and say your prayers."

It is too easy to dela with a hypothetical situation. One's choice in the actual situation might be quite different.

Jai Ram
Art
 
It is ofcourse a hard dicision.I would only pull down the lever in order to save more then one life.but would also have faith that ALLAH is the biggest resquer.<no offence to anyone>.peace
 
@ Native

One of the episodes in the middle about moral arbitrariness was excellent. But the last couple were awful.
 
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