Thread: Would you push a fat person into a train to save a bunch of people?

I would never kill someone unless at war or in self-defense. This is slippery slope to execution of convicted murderers.

Originally Posted by wendylove

Now lastly, you would have to push a fat person into a train

You mean push him into a train like this?



it does seem like a lot of work... im not sure 12 lives are worth that much effort.

As disturbing as it sounds I wouldn't save anyone. I'm not qualified in understanding the value of one life over another. It will hurt knowing I did nothing when I had a choice, but this will give me solace.

I'd have to know who I'd be saving to make a decision. But how would a fat guy getting hit by a train save anyone? In a collision between anything and a train, the train always wins.

Originally Posted by Schmaven

I'd have to know who I'd be saving to make a decision. But how would a fat guy getting hit by a train save anyone? In a collision between anything and a train, the train always wins.

Let's just pretend this guys fat enough to stop a moving train. Of course thinking about it now he probably wouldn't live for much longer... Nah just kidding

I would push the fat guy in front of the train.

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

I would push the fat guy in front of the train.

I agree. I would have to push the fat guy in front of the train, or else I'd have to live with the fact that I had the choice to save those people, but I let them die.

if he were fat enough to stop a moving train, I'd first take a picture of him (he must be enormous), then push him in front of it to save the people.

Originally Posted by Schmaven

if he were fat enough to stop a moving train, I'd first take a picture of him (he must be enormous), then push him in front of it to save the people.

You would have to be far away to get a good picture considering the frame size...

This is the issue that is at the heart of the morality of war issue.

I would definitely favor pushing the fat guy in front of the train, if I knew he could stop it. However, getting up the nerve to actually go through with it would be a real challenge. As much as I see and argue the logic in killing a smaller number of people to save a much larger number, I am not sure if I have it in me to kill an innocent person myself for any reason. I would probably freeze up and not be able to move. However, legally killing a person who deserves to die would be a piece of cake.

I'd sacrifice myself before I forced someone else to die.

But really, I'd find a way to save them all. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Okay now how many people would push the fat guy in front of the train even if no lives were necessarily saved?

I would throw an Aspergers child in a river to save three Chinese acrobats.

I find the responses disturbing because morally it's identical to a surgeon killing a man in a hospital waiting room, plundering his organs to save X patients, completely against his will. Doing this would be clear cut murder.

Pushing a button to choose to save either 2 or 1 person (assuming that all these people are worth the same to you) is an easy choice; save the two people, at the expense of killing the one. You're not actively killing anyone.

In my opinion, there's a massive difference between collateral damage and actively using someone as an agent to do something against their will.

yeah I don't understand any possible situation where you could save anybody by pushing someone in front of a train. I like the surgeon example better, because I can actually answer that with No, it's not you're right to kill someone and harvest their organs even to save 12 people.

Of course this is why I gave up on things like principles because they dictate what you should do in every moment. Frankly, I actually don't have a real, concrete answer to any hypothetical question. The only decision I'll make in any given moment is the one that I do.

me i'm just lazy, i would pry just stand and watch.sorry if thats creepy at all.

Originally Posted by Taosaur

I would throw an Aspergers child in a river to save three Chinese acrobats.

lol

oh man, aren't these morality questions a riot? they have no ground in the real world. a fat man can not stop a moving train. no fat man would ever have to be sacrificed. PERIOD. lets get some reality here.

why would I sacrifice an innocent fat man standing on the side because of a bunch of idiots crossed paths with a train? if were talking about the real world, lets face it, they are where they shouldn't be and more than likely they were warned ahead of time. trains have warnings. you can hear them. you can see them coming. there are red lights flashing, signs that have fallen down...honestly. who would stand there but someone who is looking for death?

no innocent person should have to die because of someones foolish mistake. you reap what you sow. the train driver is at no fault.

BECAUSE IN THE REAL WORLD THERE IS NOTHING HE COULD HAVE DONE! THERE IS NO MAGICAL FAT MAN ON THE SIDE!

Yeah, I'd probably freeze up and not do anything.

It really depends on the people. If it was family and friends, I bet most people would throw some fat stranger into the train. If the fat person was a friend as well, you'd freeze up. If it's 12 strangers, I'd do nothing. Ever since someone tried to rob my house two years ago, I developed a hate for the human race - I'm out to get my own. Could care less what happens to strangers.

Edit: Actually, if it's 12 strangers who are scientists and engineers, and the fat person is dumb ass, I just might do it as well.

Well... that's really an unfair question. It only gives you two options, when in reality there's usually more than two possible courses of action. Questions of relative morality rarely serve as valid tests of character, but manipulative tools that degrade the importance of the issue (in this case, killing someone.)

But I'd totally throw the fat guy at the train. He so had it coming.

I would not push the fat guy under a train because that would make me solely responsible for his death both morally and legally, the fact that the train is gonna crash and kill all them people is a tragic accident, and one that is not my fault. When u push that guy infront of the train you have no idea how many peoples lives would be destroyed as a result.. his loved ones etc, and even though a lot more lives would be destroyed as a result of not pushing him i wouldnt be held responsible for those lifes. yes its sad and yes i would feel guilty that i didnt help them others, but i dont belive any one life is more valuable than any other and i would not sacrifice someone for someone else no matter how many people, and by doing that would ruin my own life by probably getting charged for murder which inevitably ruins the lifes of others around me.

Can someone explain how pushing the fat person infront of the train will cause the other people to be saved?

If your gonna kill someone, you need to be sure about the outcome of killing them.

For this situation, I think we're assuming he's so massively fat, that he would stop the train by being pushed in front of it. It could be a really fast toy train that would knock a bunch of people off balance causing them to fall off a cliff.

Originally Posted by Schmaven

For this situation, I think we're assuming he's so massively fat, that he would stop the train by being pushed in front of it. It could be a really fast toy train that would knock a bunch of people off balance causing them to fall off a cliff.

A fat man stopping a train. What country does he live in? One with paper trains.