Zubon comments on Ends Don't Justify Means (Among Humans) - Less Wrong

44 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 October 2008 09:00PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (87)

Sort By: Old

You are viewing a single comment's thread.

Comment author: Zubon 15 October 2008 06:42:26PM 0 points [-]

Henry V, the usual version does not offer that option. You frequently are offered a lever to change the track the train is on, diverting it from five to one. And then there are a dozen variations. And one of those later variations sometimes involves a man fat enough to derail/slow/stop the train if you push him in front (by assumption: much fatter than Henry V, but not so fat that you could not push him over).

The question is there to check if your answer differs between the lever and the push. If you would pull the lever but not push the guy, the implication is that you think you have blood on your hands with the push but not the lever. And if you accept upon reflection that you are just as morally culpable or laudable in either case, because the feeling of distance does not matter, the next question is how much money you are spending to prevent starvation in Africa and Asia.