• PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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      3 days ago

      It’s a combination of two common ‘trolley problem’ moral dilemmas.

      Do you pull the switch to kill fewer people, even though that would actively involve you in the decision to kill people?

      AND

      There is a trolley coming - you are with a heavy man on a bridge. Do you push the man off the bridge, knowing his body is substantial enough to gum up the trolley and stop it - to save a greater number of people?

      In this scenario, by combining the two, pulling the lever will make the moral dilemma harder - because the fellow on the bridge must decide the life of 1 person vs. the life of 2. On the other hand, refusing to pull the lever will make the decision easier, if still not clear cut - as the fellow on the bridge must decide the life of 1 person vs. the life of 5.

      • Vespair@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        I’ve seen a lot of variations of the trolley problem, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard the “heavy man.” It also makes zero sense, because a heavy man would do nothing to a trolley.

      • optional@piefed.social
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        3 days ago

        maybe i got confused because of the heavy man and bridge being on the two paths… Also, no way that “heavy man” can stop a trolley

  • banana@thebrainbin.org
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    3 days ago

    The dominant strategy is pulling the lever, because assuming both guys on the bridge don’t push, you kill 2 instead of 4, and 2<4. If the guys on the bridge decide to push you kill 1 person in each scenario.

    • ftbd@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      Yes, but wouldn’t the person on the left be more likely to push than the one on the right, as they could save more lives by sacrificing one?