dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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 Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:17 am Post subject: Crap that you stumble accross |
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I can't remember what I was looking for
http://www.mit.edu/~saxe/DilemmaSet_order1.pdf
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Andrew is a train driver. One day while he is driving an empty train back to the station,
the breaks suddenly fail. The train is running fast down a track towards five workmen. If
it hits them, the train will kill the five men. But Andrew can push a button to steer the
train down a side track where there is only one man standing. Is it permissible for Andrew
to push the button?
Forbidden
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5
6
7
Permissible
Barbara is a surgeon working at a major hospital. One day, she is carrying for five
young patients who are all dying because of the failure of a different organ. Barbara can
save all five patients if she kills one healthy old man who is visiting the hospital for a
routine check-up, removes his organs, and distributes them to the dying people. Is it
permissible for Barbara to kill the man?
Forbidden
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Permissible
Carl is walking on a footbridge over a train track one day, when he sees an empty train
come racing down the track. The train�s breaks have failed, and it is heading towards
five workmen. If it hits them, the train will kill the five men. But Carl can push a trackswitch
to steer the train down a side track where there is only one man standing. Is it
permissible for Carl to push the switch?
Forbidden
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Permissible
Daniel is walking on a footbridge over a train track one day, when he sees an empty
train come racing down the track. The train�s breaks have failed, and it is heading towards
five workmen. If it hits them, the train will kill the five men. But there is another
man on the footbridge that day, wearing a large backpack. Daniel can push the man off
the footbridge to slow down the train, killing the one man but saving the five. Is it permissible
for Daniel to push the man?
Forbidden
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2
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5
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7
Permissible
Ernie is cooking for his sick grandmother who adores spinach. Recently there had been
incidents of E. coli contamination of bagged spinach leading to a recall of all bagged
spinach. Bagged spinach has been restocked at many markets. But some inspections
aren�t thorough and contaminated batches are still being missed. At the market, Ernie
sees that bagged spinach is being carried again. He believes that it�s perfectly safe now
because of some official-looking information by the spinach. Ernie cooks spinach for his
grandmother, and she ends up in the hospital, violently ill. Was is permissible for Ernie
to feed his grandmother the spinach?
Forbidden
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7
Permissible
Frank is cooking for his sick grandmother who adores spinach. Recently there had been
incidents of E. coli contamination of bagged spinach leading to a recall of all bagged
spinach. Bagged spinach has been restocked at many markets. It is 100% safe to eat
and no longer contaminated with E. coli. At the market, Frank sees that bagged spinach
is being carried again. He believes that bagged spinach may still be contaminated because
he heard on the radio that 25 new cases of E. coli were reported that week.
Frank cooks spinach for his grandmother. The meal is healthy and delicious. Was is
permissible for Frank to feed his grandmother the spinach?
Forbidden
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Permissible
Gerry is visiting friends of his parents in the middle East. In his host family, role are
strongly divided by gender. The wife does all the cooking, cleaning and housework. After
dinner, the husband often leans back and belches towards his wife in the kitchen. He
explains that belching is considered a compliment to the cooking, and is socially accepted
in this society. Is it permissible for Gerry to also belch after dinner?
Forbidden
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2
3
4
5
6
7
Permissible
A woman is near death from a special kind of cancer. There is one drug that the doctors
think might save her. It is a form of radium that a druggist in the same town recently discovered.
The drug is expensive to make, but the druggist is charging more than the
drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for the radium and charges $4,000 for a dose of
the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the
money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which
is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell
it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm
going to make money from it." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets desperate
and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife. Is it permissible
for Heinz to steal the drug?
Forbidden
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2
3
4
5
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7
Permissible
Ian is visiting friends of his parents in the middle East. In his host family, role are
strongly divided by gender. The wife does all the cooking, cleaning and housework. After
dinner, the husband complains and yells and throws dishes at his wife in the kitchen.
He explains that throwing things at women is not a big deal, and is socially accepted in
this society. Is it permissible for Ian to also throw plates at the women of the house?
Forbidden
1
2
3
4
5
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7
Permissible
John is supposed to be Best Man at a friend�s wedding in Maine this afternoon. He is
carrying the wedding rings with him in New Hampshire, where he has been staying on
business. There is one bus a day that goes directly to the coast. John is on his way to
the bus station with 15 minutes to spare when he realises that his wallet has been stolen,
and with it his bus tickets, his cards and all of his various forms of ID. At the bus
station, John tries to convince the officials, and then a couple of fellow travelers, to lend
him the money to buy a new bus ticket, but no one will do it. With five minutes to go before
the bus�s departure, he is sitting on a bench trying desperately to think of a plan.
Just then a well-dressed man gets up for a walk, leaving his jacket � with a bus ticket to
Maine in the pocket � lying unattended on the bench. In a flash, John knows that the
only way he will make it to this wedding on time is if he takes that ticket. The man is
clearly well-off and could easily buy himself another one. Is it permissible for John to
steal the ticket?
Forbidden
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Permissible
Karl is taking his daily walk near the train tracks when he notices that the train that is
approaching is out of control. Karl sees what has happened: the driver of the train saw
five million dollars of new railroad equipment lying idle across the tracks and slammed
on the brakes, but the brakes failed and the driver fainted. The train is now rushing toward
the equipment. It is moving so fast that it will be destroyed. Fortunately, Karl is
standing next to a switch, which he can throw, that will turn the train onto a side track,
thereby preventing it from destroying the equipment. Unfortunately, there is a man
standing on the side t rack with his back turned. Karl can throw the switch, killing him; or
he can refrain from doing this, letting the equipment be destroyed. Is it permissible for
Karl to throw the switch?
Forbidden
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Permissible
Luke is taking his daily walk near the train tracks when he notices that the train that is
approaching is out of control. Luke sees what has happened: the driver of the train saw
a man walking across the tracks and slammed on the brakes, but the brakes failed and
the driver fainted. The train is now rushing toward the man. It is moving so fast that he
will not be able to get off the track in time. Fortunately, Luke is standing next to the
man, whom he can throw off the track out of the path of the train, thereby prevent ing it
from killing the man. Unfortunately, the man is frail and standing with his back turned.
Luke can throw the man, injuring him; or he can refrain from doing this, letting the man
die. Is it permissible for Luke to throw the man?
Forbidden
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5
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7
Permissible
Mark is taking his daily walk near the t rain tracks when he notices that the train that is
approaching is out of control. Mark sees what has happened: the driver of the train saw
five men walking across the tracks and slammed on the brakes, but the brakes failed,
and the driver fainted. The train is now rushing toward the five men. It is moving so fast
that they will not be able to get off the track in time. Fortunately, Mark is standing next
to a switch, which he can throw, that will turn the train onto a side track, thereby prevent
ing it from killing the men. Unfortunately, there is a man on the side track. Mark can
throw the switch, killing him; or he can refrain from doing this, letting the men die.Mark
then recognizes that the man on the side track is someone who he hates with a passion.
�I don�t give a damn about saving those five men,� Mark thinks to himself, �but this
is my chance to kill that *beep*.� Is it permissible for Mark to throw the switch?
Forbidden
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2
3
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5
6
7
Permissible |
Well, someone might find it useful. |
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