tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3038982430946457580.post5521238748435876239..comments2023-03-30T09:15:09.921+01:00Comments on Did You Think About This ?: Dilemma ( Part I )Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3038982430946457580.post-13856032802946810842011-05-01T18:35:16.846+01:002011-05-01T18:35:16.846+01:00If he knows that by returning he will kill others ...If he knows that by returning he will kill others then he's effectively about to commit murder. So, the number counts. He dies. I'd probably confess too.<br /><br />Does Part II involve Colonel Gaddafi and some missiles which no-one would know you targetted at him if you claim the target was a 'command centre'? :)<br /><br />DJAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3038982430946457580.post-45248662243087509012011-05-01T14:22:16.275+01:002011-05-01T14:22:16.275+01:00This one's very straightforward. Kill him. I&#...This one's very straightforward. Kill him. I'd rather have one death on my conscience than a million, or ten thousand. I can't wash my hands of it by pretending that it was <i>his</i> choice to return to his town.<br /><br />This is a variant of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem" rel="nofollow">trolley problem,</a> although less complex. There are some variants there, too. The organ-transplant one is a tough one IMO.<br /><br />That said, like most constructed ethical dilemmas of this type, this is pretty contrived. In real life, things very, very rarely boil down to binary choices like this one. There are always other options. And as such, I don't think such constructed ethical dilemmas are very useful tests of systems of ethics.Brikoleurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318706625291447339noreply@blogger.com