I killed 67 people, but 5 deaths were due to pressing the wrong button on the painting level. Do I start over and pull more levers to lower my score or do nothing?
Lower your score? You've just murdered 67 people!
Absurd Trolley Problems
151–160 of 951 posts
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#152Level 20 was weird. It was a choice between letting a trolley run as normal ("emits CO2, kills 3 people in accidents over 30 years") or running it into a brick wall and decommissioning it. For some reason more people picked the latter. So, they just dislike public transit? What about the emissions and death rate when everyone switches to cars instead? Goes to show how easily the context and exact wording of a questio…
> For some reason more people picked the latter. So, they just dislike public transit? I mean, it seems like it's the same trolley that have run over a lot of people for the previous 19 levels, why wouldn't I want to decommission such bloodthirsty trolley?
Isn’t the trolly also reducing carbon emissions by killing so many people? With enough of these questions, it will be able to reduce the world’s population to zero, at which point there should be no carbon emissions from humans.
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#153I feel like this is easier if you’re a non-lever-puller. If you think it’s wrong to pull the lever if it causes anyone’s death who wasn’t dying anyway, then most of these are easy. Except the “you can’t see the track” one I suppose :P
I think it's never right to pull the lever, unless there aren't any humans on the other track. I'd sacrifice an animal or objects, but people should never be sacrificed for other people, unless they actively choose to.
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#154Level 10 (pulling the level speeds up the trolley, reducing the suffering of the 5 people who are going to get run over anyway) is basically the argument for legalizing assisted suicide.
Of course, I pulled the lever (I guess it's a bit different in that I didn't get consent from the people, but presumably the difference in their lifetime was miniscule, and the entire remainder would have been dread of impending death anyway)
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are discounting the simple possibility that 70% of respondents do not have any significant "life savings" to speak of.
100%. I have no savings so it was an easy pull
Risky play, if I’m lucky and inflation goes up 1000% I’ll seem downright smart for counting on the breakdown of society!
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#156I'm surprised to see the popular answer to Question 3. > Oh no! A trolley is heading towards 5 people. You can pull the lever to divert it to the other track, but then your life savings will be destroyed. What do you do? Over 70% chose to pull the lever and destroy their life savings. People die of preventable causes in developing countries today. By choosing not to donate your life savings today to help them, you ar…
Well, once the event hits the news and it comes out that you sacrificed your saving to save some people, then it should be easy to set up a gofundme and recoup the costs, at least if you're like me and your life savings are paltry. You may even profit!
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Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#157I wonder what the explanations are for 18, most people killed the robots. Assumption of backups? Or caring about your own species more?
Problem with this is that pulling the lever is an action. Which I actively choose not to take, but to save my self. Or to kill a cat to make a point.
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#158Level 20 was weird. It was a choice between letting a trolley run as normal ("emits CO2, kills 3 people in accidents over 30 years") or running it into a brick wall and decommissioning it. For some reason more people picked the latter. So, they just dislike public transit? What about the emissions and death rate when everyone switches to cars instead? Goes to show how easily the context and exact wording of a questio…
I always assume trolley problems are in a vacuum without context. Otherwise for every one of them you have to ask, "what is the background of each person on each track" to make a proper choice.
I assume the information they have told me is the only thing relevant and everything else is equal.
Re: Absurd Trolley Problems
#15956, that was quite fun. Pre-corporate internet vibes. It'd be cool if there were a way to see a one page view of the stats at the end (and where you fit with each) instead of having to redo to see again.