Quote:
|
It's really no different now. Most people aren't going to commit suicide to save a kid too stupid to know not to play in the street. I know I wouldn't.
|
I'm not sure the last bit there is true. Swerving when something is in your way on the road is a natural instinct. When it's something like a child, I'd imagine it's an even larger instinct. You may not consciously decide to not hit the kid, but it doesn't mean the result won't be the same.
Quote:
|
If I don't flip the switch, I do not believe I am at all responsible for the other deaths.
|
It's a situation in which the circumstances leading up to the moment are fully not in your control, but the circumstances in the moment fully are. To me, that means that you're not responsible directly for any deaths regardless of pulling or not pulling the lever. It is no different than a person saying "would you rather one person die or five people die?" If you answered "one" there, would you still consider that you're directly responsible for that person's death?
The fact that zero intervention leads to five deaths doesn't matter since you know every variable and have full control. You're really just answering the above question. Not pulling the lever is you answering that you'd prefer five people to die. Pulling is answering you'd prefer one to die.