Post by funnel101 on Sept 14, 2009 11:15:35 GMT -4
This was posted in an online Buddhist community I frequent and found it interesting:
Scenario 1: You find yourself in a locked room, holding a loaded handgun. There is a forty year old man tied in a chair across the room from you. A voice comes over an intercom in the room and informs you that, one mile away, there is a building with 1000 people (ages ranging from 25-65) locked inside. You have fifteen minutes to shoot the man in the room with you in the head and kill him- he must be confirmed dead- or the building that has the 1000 people in it will be blown up, killing all inside. The tied-up man is begging you not to kill him.
For the purposes of this scenario/thought experiment, the following things are true:
1. There is no way to escape the room or be rescued from the room, and there is no possibility that the people in the other building will be rescued in time.
2. The bomber who has put you in this situation is not lying: he will let the other 1000 people go unharmed if you do what he says.
3. There really are 1000 other people wired to explode a mile away; the bomber is not lying.
4. If you kill the man, you cannot be connected to the killing or arrested; you will go free and safe, with only your conscience to carry with you.
In Scenario 1, what do you do?
Scenario 2: You find yourself in a locked room, holding a loaded handgun. There is a forty year old man tied in a chair across the room from you. A voice comes over an intercom in the room and informs you that, one mile away, there is a building with 1000 children (ages ranging from 1-4) locked inside. You have fifteen minutes to shoot the man in the room with you in the head and kill him- he must be confirmed dead- or the building that has the 1000 children in it will be blown up, killing all inside. The tied-up man is begging you not to kill him.
For the purposes of this scenario/thought experiment, the following things are true:
1. There is no way to escape the room or be rescued from the room, and there is no possibility that the children in the other building will be rescued in time.
2. The bomber who has put you in this situation is not lying: he will let the other 1000 children go unharmed if you do what he says.
3. There really are 1000 children wired to explode a mile away; the bomber is not lying.
4. If you kill the man, you cannot be connected to the killing or arrested; you will go free and safe, with only your conscience to carry with you.
In Scenario 2, what do you do? Is your response to scenario 2 different from 1? Why?
Scenario 1: You find yourself in a locked room, holding a loaded handgun. There is a forty year old man tied in a chair across the room from you. A voice comes over an intercom in the room and informs you that, one mile away, there is a building with 1000 people (ages ranging from 25-65) locked inside. You have fifteen minutes to shoot the man in the room with you in the head and kill him- he must be confirmed dead- or the building that has the 1000 people in it will be blown up, killing all inside. The tied-up man is begging you not to kill him.
For the purposes of this scenario/thought experiment, the following things are true:
1. There is no way to escape the room or be rescued from the room, and there is no possibility that the people in the other building will be rescued in time.
2. The bomber who has put you in this situation is not lying: he will let the other 1000 people go unharmed if you do what he says.
3. There really are 1000 other people wired to explode a mile away; the bomber is not lying.
4. If you kill the man, you cannot be connected to the killing or arrested; you will go free and safe, with only your conscience to carry with you.
In Scenario 1, what do you do?
Scenario 2: You find yourself in a locked room, holding a loaded handgun. There is a forty year old man tied in a chair across the room from you. A voice comes over an intercom in the room and informs you that, one mile away, there is a building with 1000 children (ages ranging from 1-4) locked inside. You have fifteen minutes to shoot the man in the room with you in the head and kill him- he must be confirmed dead- or the building that has the 1000 children in it will be blown up, killing all inside. The tied-up man is begging you not to kill him.
For the purposes of this scenario/thought experiment, the following things are true:
1. There is no way to escape the room or be rescued from the room, and there is no possibility that the children in the other building will be rescued in time.
2. The bomber who has put you in this situation is not lying: he will let the other 1000 children go unharmed if you do what he says.
3. There really are 1000 children wired to explode a mile away; the bomber is not lying.
4. If you kill the man, you cannot be connected to the killing or arrested; you will go free and safe, with only your conscience to carry with you.
In Scenario 2, what do you do? Is your response to scenario 2 different from 1? Why?