A question about morality?

You are standing next to a lever that operates the points on a railway line. Operating the points can redirect the train off the main line and into a siding. There is a train coming and if you do nothing, the train will definitely kill 5 people (you don't know these people - they have no relationship with you, all adults, no children) who are stranded on the railway track a little further down the line. However, if you pull the lever and switch the points to send the train into the siding, it will miss the five people but will definitely kill one person who is stranded on this line.

Would you divert the train to save the 5 people, but kill the single person if.......

A. The person that would be killed is a 50 year old man

B. The person that would be killed is a 5 year old girl

C. The person that would be killed is a known paedophile

D. The person that would be killed is your wife/husband

A question about morality?internet explorer

A) Yes - a random person vs 5 random people, no contest.

B) No - sentiment, yes - but I have a small daughter.

C) Yes - Even if there were no people on the train, I would happily divert it towards a paedophile.

D) No - 5 random people vs the man I love and father of my children? Again, no contest.

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a
D
How much life insurance does the wife/husband have??
is this a trick question? C of course, but I would prefer not to kill anyone.
yes

yes

yes

that is too hypothetical :-)
I would pretend I didn't see anything and go home.
You would save yourself. Isnt this a British Airways Training question?
Open and close the points causing it to derail thus saving every one. The train would be slowing down you see. Then go down the track with my magnum........And Michael Jackson would have it
This is a fairly obvious answer--divert the track to option C and allow the pedophile to be struck dead. In that instance, you achieve the greatest gain with the lowest cost. Pedophiles have exceptionally high recidivism rates, so in this instance you'd be potentially eliminating a future threat as well as saving 5 lives on the train.

But what I'm wondering is, why are all these people just standing around waiting to get hit?
cant i just scream at the top of my lungs for them to get off the line as i dont want to witness anyone being killed by a train

it would have to be c

i love your avatar
Hmm,

the only one I would not sacrifice for the 5 people would be the little girl.
I never like problem solving it is way too brain consuming. If it is me, I will panic and will press the panic button. Alternatively, I will put on my superwoman's suit and place myself in front of all those people that you described to stop the train and in true heroine story, everyone's safe and happy. Me? Well, lets see...
C - All of them should stand in front of trains
Are you trying to psychoanalyse me?
A- Yes, 5 people have to take precedence over just one

B- No, this was the toughest decision for me and I know it's hypocritical but I couldn't bring myself to kill a child even indirectly. Call it female mothering instincts.

C- Yes, same reason as the first one

D- No, I'd protect my wife over anyone except my children