Will You Kill the Fat Man?
About This Novel
A train was speeding towards five people tied to the tracks. Unless it could be stopped, those five people would die. At this time, you are standing on the overpass looking down, watching the tragedy that is about to happen. Standing next to you is a strange fat man. You can choose to push him off the bridge and he will fall on the rails. Although he will die, his fat body will block the moving train, thus saving the lives of those five people. So, will you choose to kill the fat man? This question may seem odd, but it's a classic variation of a philosophical puzzle known as the trolley problem. This puzzle has puzzled philosophers for half a century. Philosophers and sociologists have used this question to discuss ethical dilemmas such as abortion, war, and issues such as sacrificing the few for the sake of the many. Recently, it has further attracted the attention of neuroscientists, psychologists and other thinkers. By telling fascinating stories, this book tells readers why and how philosophers grappled with this philosophical puzzle, and the answer to this question will tell us a lot about right and wrong. The author discusses: Can the quantity of life or the quality of life be used as a criterion for measuring interests? Is it really the right answer for the minority to obey the majority? The author writes at the end of the book that he would not choose to push the fat man off the bridge, but he asks the reader "Would you kill the fat man?"
What Readers Think
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Official(29)Scraped 12d ago
The people downstairs are each more hypocritical than the last.
I want to laugh when I see your comments
I rather think that the result of the trolley hypothesis is to provide a strong judgment on whether to make a decision in a real situation based on facts that may or may have occurred.
I will not kill the fat man, because in my heart every life is complete. There is no such thing as sacrificing the ego. I have no right to sacrifice other people's lives to save any other life. This involves my own ability. This problem is very extreme and the trap is very deep ~ I won't , I will only shout to remind them that if it is irreversible, it will be their lives~ The level of morality is not reflected in sacrificing the individual to fulfill the greater self. This is a matter of choices caused by everyone's status in society. It may be different if you are a politician, or if you are a farmer, etc~~
How fair it is to let them die together. Such a simple question is not a problem.
How fair it is to let them die together. Such a simple question is not a problem.
If you say something unpleasant, what does it have to do with me? No one can decide the life or death of others.
😜😝The reincarnation of cause and effect brings unfavorable retribution.
Will the fat man push me down?
I don't know how, and I don't know a few people on the railroad. This fat man is also innocent. I can't do it to take away other people's lives. I might as well watch from the sidelines...
If this really happened to me, I think I would just sit on the sidelines. Because there is no benefit to me whether I save or not. If I save, I will indeed get the appreciation of others and the gratitude of the rescued. But apart from these, what will be brought to me will be legal sanctions. I will be convicted of intentional homicide and put in jail. Although my crime will be reduced because I saved someone, it will leave a criminal record on me. It makes my originally vertical life become curved, and what is even more frightening is that it may destroy my life. So I don't think it's worth ruining my life by saving some people who have nothing to do with me. Although if I don't save someone, I will be called cold-blooded or something like that, but the unfavorable moment was only at that time and will not leave any stain on my future life. Moreover, I am not a policeman, I am not the Virgin Mary, and I have no superpowers, so why should I save him? Are there not police in the world? Isn't this what the police should do! Why do we ordinary people compete with the police for our jobs? 🤗🤗
Extreme questions are difficult to answer, they are all traps. If the fat man kidnapped five people, I would push the fat man regardless of my own safety. The fat man would also push me down, and they would all perish together...
No one has the right to decide someone else's life. Unless that person is willing, it is murder. I have no right to decide whether he lives or dies, and no one does.
Rating
Community(0)
Official(29)Scraped 12d ago
The people downstairs are each more hypocritical than the last.
I want to laugh when I see your comments
I rather think that the result of the trolley hypothesis is to provide a strong judgment on whether to make a decision in a real situation based on facts that may or may have occurred.
I will not kill the fat man, because in my heart every life is complete. There is no such thing as sacrificing the ego. I have no right to sacrifice other people's lives to save any other life. This involves my own ability. This problem is very extreme and the trap is very deep ~ I won't , I will only shout to remind them that if it is irreversible, it will be their lives~ The level of morality is not reflected in sacrificing the individual to fulfill the greater self. This is a matter of choices caused by everyone's status in society. It may be different if you are a politician, or if you are a farmer, etc~~
How fair it is to let them die together. Such a simple question is not a problem.
How fair it is to let them die together. Such a simple question is not a problem.
If you say something unpleasant, what does it have to do with me? No one can decide the life or death of others.
😜😝The reincarnation of cause and effect brings unfavorable retribution.
Will the fat man push me down?
I don't know how, and I don't know a few people on the railroad. This fat man is also innocent. I can't do it to take away other people's lives. I might as well watch from the sidelines...
If this really happened to me, I think I would just sit on the sidelines. Because there is no benefit to me whether I save or not. If I save, I will indeed get the appreciation of others and the gratitude of the rescued. But apart from these, what will be brought to me will be legal sanctions. I will be convicted of intentional homicide and put in jail. Although my crime will be reduced because I saved someone, it will leave a criminal record on me. It makes my originally vertical life become curved, and what is even more frightening is that it may destroy my life. So I don't think it's worth ruining my life by saving some people who have nothing to do with me. Although if I don't save someone, I will be called cold-blooded or something like that, but the unfavorable moment was only at that time and will not leave any stain on my future life. Moreover, I am not a policeman, I am not the Virgin Mary, and I have no superpowers, so why should I save him? Are there not police in the world? Isn't this what the police should do! Why do we ordinary people compete with the police for our jobs? 🤗🤗
Extreme questions are difficult to answer, they are all traps. If the fat man kidnapped five people, I would push the fat man regardless of my own safety. The fat man would also push me down, and they would all perish together...
No one has the right to decide someone else's life. Unless that person is willing, it is murder. I have no right to decide whether he lives or dies, and no one does.
