It's more like there are people who have tied themselves firmly to the tracks and also to people who do believe in the train and want to get off, but they cannot because they are tied to the train-deniers.
If we could build train wheels that skip over believers and kill only deniers, then I wouldn't even touch the train's brakes, but we can't do that.
Yeah, but that is essentially the problem. Your first thought is, "Why are they on the tracks, why don't they just move, what the hell?" and your ethics prof just says, "they are there and won't move". Thus you could apply any narrative to them that you like to justify when they won't move and technically the one you described would fit the bill.
33
u/charisma6 Oregon 17d ago
Um, the decision facing society today is nothing like the trolley problem.
It isn't kill people A or kill people B. It's don't let stupid people kill themselves, or do let them.
Conductor: "The train is coming, everyone get off the tracks."
Sane people: "Oh shit okay no problem."
Insane people: "No fuck you, there is no train, I'm staying right here."
Conductor and sane people: "Dude how can you say there's no train? The train just hit and killed your uncle five minutes ago!"
IP: "He didn't die of train, he died of extreme lacerations to the torso and face."
C&SP: "Come on just sit up and look, it's right there."
IP: "That's just special effects."
C&SP: "YOU CAN FEEL THE GROUND RUMBLING, YOURE GOING TO DIE"
IP: "lol are you mad, liberal?"