# Murder or not?



## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

You are a driver of a train that has lost it's brakes and ahead you see five workmen on the track, you know for sure that they are all going to die if you keep going, but then you notice there is a side track you can steer into but there is one person on that track and they will die as well.

Question : would you steer the train into the side track or would you keep going and kill the five workmen ?


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## Derek. (Dec 5, 2010)

Steer to the side track, obviously.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

But why would you, if you dont mind me asking


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## Derek. (Dec 5, 2010)

To avoid killing 5 people when there's the option of only killing 1. If you were to choose to stay on the same track, you'd be consciously murdering 4 more people than is necessary.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

what if there were five people in hospital all in need a organ transplants or they will die, there is a perfectly healthy guy in the next room that has just come in for a check up and has all the required organs to save the other five, would you kill him to save the other five?


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## Derek. (Dec 5, 2010)

Well that's basically the same, so my answer should stay the same. However in that situation I'd say leave it up to the healthy guy in the next room to decide


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## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

I would lean on the air horn to warn them of impending disaster so they can get off the track in time...duh


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

well unfortunately the horn dosent work in this hypothetical


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## sonnl (Apr 15, 2009)

i think those are two very different questions, dispite the similar theme. theirs nothing you can do to stop the train, some one IS going to die, why make it 5 when it can only be one. On the other hand, why would you murder a perfectly healthy person to save 5 strangers for no reason. On an ethical level, the second one really would be considered murder, no matter whos life your saving.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

I'm at a loss as to how this relates to Depersonalization & Derealization Discussion.


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## skeyesthelimit (Nov 9, 2010)

sonnl said:


> i think those are two very different questions, dispite the similar theme. theirs nothing you can do to stop the train, some one IS going to die, why make it 5 when it can only be one. On the other hand, why would you murder a perfectly healthy person to save 5 strangers for no reason. On an ethical level, the second one really would be considered murder, no matter whos life your saving.


Yeah pretty much this, two different things. Whoever is on the track should be careful of trains coming by (or are they somehow stuck on the track?), nothing you can really do about it. The other is murdering an innocent person consciously with intent.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

ThoughtOnFire said:


> I'm at a loss as to how this relates to Depersonalization & Derealization Discussion.


Well........I did make you stop thinking about Dp for a bit didn't it, and for me thats what helped me get over it so......


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2010)

Thanks mods for moving this thread.


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2010)

Yeah thanks guys, it was somewhat thoughtless of me to post in the wrong section, god knows what may have happened if it had remained where it was *wink*


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## TheStarter (Oct 19, 2010)

i would blow the horn


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2010)

TheStarter said:


> i would blow the horn


Points to 8th post.


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## Ben23 (Nov 27, 2006)

I'd hit the 5 guys, hoping that needlessly killing more people than necessary would help me feel something again.


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