paper-machine comments on What Is Optimal Philanthropy? - Less Wrong

24 Post author: alyssavance 12 July 2012 12:17AM

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Comment author: Vaniver 12 July 2012 04:27:13AM 1 point [-]

Upvoted for #4.

Singer compares philanthropy to a Trolley Problem. There's a set of train tracks, which a child is lying on, and a train is fast approaching. You're driving a luxury car, and if you drive the car on the tracks, the train will run into the car and save the child. What should you do?

Is that... really what Singer calls it? Why?

Comment author: [deleted] 12 July 2012 04:08:04PM *  0 points [-]

I'd be interested in a direct reference for this -- the linked paper doesn't even mention the word trolley anywhere. It is technically a trolley problem, but it's not a terribly interesting one; the variants I've read Singer propose in the past (e.g., sacrificing yourself to save five children) are usually more interesting.

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