August 31, 2006
-
Heavy questions.
Yesterday I was listening to NPR, which I do whenever I’m in the car. Unfortunately I can’t always hear everything because the kids are playing screaming or making general kids noise and occasionally they want my attention, go figure. So I don’t know what this show was or what it was about but I did hear this short part.
They did a study asking people these questions…
You see a street car carrying five people on it towards a certain death. You have an opportunity to switch the tracks but there is one person on the new track that cannot move so he would be killed instead of the five on the trolley. Would you do it?
Apparently the majority of the people said yes they would.The line of thinking being that one life is worth less then five. Then they asked…
Imagine the same scenario but now instead of switching the tracks you are standing next to someone that if pushed in front of the car would stop it. Of course that person would then be dead. Would you push the one to save the five?
The majority of people said no. I don’t know why that’s where my attention was dragged to something else but I have to wonder now what is the difference? One you have to actually have your hands on the person your going to kill and the other you just pull a stick?
So in evening chatter with my husband I ask him what he would do. I was expecting the stock answer but he surprised me,after eleven years of marriage I don’t know why it did because his answer was so him.
He said no, he wouldn’t switch the tracks. So I said in a bit of shock “You would let five people die instead of one.”
“Sure who am I to say that the life of that one person is less valuable then the life of those five.”
“So your going the fate avenue on this one?”
“I guess you could say that.”
Then thinking I was being clever I asked: if he could throw himself in front of the trolley would he? To which his response was: No, because even though he didn’t know the value of the lives on the trolley he did know he highly valued his. I have to say here that I value him too. I’d probably be pissed if he did kill himself, even if it was to help others. I guess I’ll have to think about what kind of person that makes me.
As for myself…I’m not sure what I would do. We’d probably all like to think we would be heroic or even self sacrificing but that’s the problem with hypothetical situations, their hypothetical. It’s probably a good thing too since they are mostly horrific or strange situations. I mean really have you ever had a hypothetical situation put to you that wasn’t?
And that being said. What would you do? Just curious.
Comments (7)
Wow, that is a good question. Kinda wierd about throwing the stick as opposed to actually pushing the guy. I think I’d have to agree with your husband though. Why should I make a decision like that killing one person to save the life of 5? Unless the one person that would save the 5 by sacrificing thier life would be in like one of those “vegetative states” or they’re really sick and they want to die. Then I’d have no problem with it. Kind of like a Dr. Kevorkian thing. I think I’m rambling now…
Cheers!
Back in the dark days when I actually had to work at a job, I always listened to NPR at work, and I came to discover this curious fact: NPR planned its broadcast schedule in such a way that the dramatic climax of whatever story they were telling would fall exactly at the moment when I was forced to leave my desk, or (when I drove a bus) when I had to stop and pick up passengers and answer a stream of questions, or when I was forced to step on the accelerator and drown out the speakers. Curios. And most unfair, since I am a long standing loyal listener.Maybe they were getting back at me for never sending them money.
Clarifying point: Would any of the options require me to get up out of my chair?
What a loaded question! We would all like to think we would do the right thing, But human nature tends to be more selfish. Like you said you would be mad at your husband if he took his own life and I would have to agree.
OMG! Jim Croce! I haven’t even thought about him for over a decade. Now I can’t get Traces of Love out of my head. Thanks. On the trolley issue, I would like to think that I would save the five and sacrifice the one, but my spiritual self says that maybe at least one of the five was supposed to die and to mess with that would be interfering with the hand of God or karma or whatever you prefer to call it. So I really think I would just throw up a quick prayer for the five souls, grab my cell phone and call 911 to come clean up the mess.
Hi….just passing thru and thought I’d say hi. I just love your profile pic. Too funny! Have a great weekend.
I am with Rubymay ..on this one ……and I love emanistan commet…boy what a deep subject…MY gosh your brain was working overtime on this one..lol…No wonder you are haveing trouble sleeping….Hugs YOUR MOM…Lov Ya