telkanuru
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"If a man is able to lie to save himself from death, then it is true that, unwillingly, he either lies or dies. However, it does not therefore follow that he either unwillingly lies or unwillingly dies." - Anselm of Canterbury, On Free Choice
From: http://nuclearspaceheater.tumblr.com/post/115002025103/advanced-trolley-problems
WilliamFraize
The lesson is: Don't let yourself get tied to a railroad track... avoid this, always.
TurkTurkelton
I would not push the fat guy. Just on the basis that there is no guarentee hes fat enough to stop the trolley.
SweatyYeti420
Why does it matter who we are on number 2?
ChickenStrudelBanned
After re-reading them all, Let them all die. Who gets tied to railroad tracks in 2015....
Roshaq
Draconiene
I didn't have enough utilitarianism in my life before this post
TheAsterite
For the last one, you always change your choice because of conditional probability.
AstroVelociraptor
I'm against overpopulation and for mayhem, so lets go with maximum destruction and fatalities.
morveyn
I feel like being a sociopath gives me a free pass on most of these. That or just being an asshole.
Butters25
The right answer is always to let the train takes its course
Butters25
Morally and legally the best option
MeanWinchester
Was I the only one who found all of these decissions really easy
VortexNA
I just kill everybody and call it a day.
gearsmith
By controlling the lever you accept responsibility for the results, thus I choose to abstain from choosing anything.
Ransnorkel
Why would I save those people after putting them on the tracks?
HumanVector
Spoken like a true Bond villain.
treeshakertucker
http://img.pandawhale.com/post-15400-Your-post-truly-disgusted-me-I-6FZa.gif
HardcoreHeathen
The answer is always to do nothing, because you don't have positive ethical obligations. Only negative ones. (But I would kill in #2).
Philanthropyman
Always choose the answer that will get you on the news.
JZ97
Nice take on the Monty-hall problem!
qaaaaa
Why would you save the SJWs? The fat dude looks pretty cool.
Daealis
First one: Pull the lever. 2nd: Pull it. 3rd:A. 4th:Fuck fat acceptancies. 5th:A 6th:Switch at every chance.
AchinthV
I agreed with you on every single one except the 90yr olds vs the 1 year old - overpopulation brah
ChickenStrudelBanned
#1 do nothing and let man on A live with his choice.
lookinggood
doing nothing is as much your choice as doing something is his
LapisLunatic
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: ... Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). Not acting is acting.
Rizic
Just imagine how pissed his parents would be if he KILLED 9 PEOPLE
CruisinDownTheStreet64
Trolleys dont hurtle. also they stop almost immediately upon sensing an object in front of it. I'd go home.
Tywindidnotshitgold
Ah, game theory
zormmie
1. Pull the lever, less loss of life 2. Do not pull the lever, less loss of life 3. Do not pull the lever on account of the 1 year old (1/2)
zormmie
has more total years of life left 4. Save the fuckers 5. Do not pull the level, 6 vs 5 6. Always
itscoldhere8monthsoftheyear
Do nothing in every instance. Even if you've "saved lives" you will still be prosecuted and potentially jailed for murder in every instance.
lookinggood
"what is necessary is legal"? and no DA would prosecute you for most of these, just too messy. maybe some probation public service works.
lookinggood
exept pushing a guy, that will be a manslaughter prosecuted by his family
MoonKingFonz
1. don't pull (he will always blame you and himself), 2. pulling guarantees survival, can't promise the won't pull to save themselves 1/?
MoonKingFonz
3. save more people vs save less, or save old people who will die soon or save a 1-year-old who can contribute to society, 4. don't push 2/?
MoonKingFonz
5. 6 (potential) lives vs 5, 6. don't switch
AisforApple
The only one I have an opinion on is the last one. It's always to your benefit to change your initial guess after a reveal, such as this.
telkanuru
That is not so much an opinion as a solid grasp on the underlying statistics.
AchinthV
Why is it better to switch? Regardless you have a 50% chance of being correct no?
telkanuru
False. If you do not switch, you have a 33% chance of being correct.
bumchuck
Don't push the fat fucker, let it hit the other assholes
Rizic
If they are ungrateful for saving their lives, then they do not deserve to be saved! Asshats
Antermosiph
In all seriousness: I'd push if there were no social repercussions. But IRL you'd get sued so I'd let them all die.
egonspenglersepididymis
The last one is statistical analysis. You change your pick because the new pick is 50/50 instead of 33/33/33 so yes.
brknsoul
What if your original pick was correct?
egonspenglersepididymis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat
egonspenglersepididymis
Doesn't matter, see wikipedia link.
IAAShRaPNeL
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you re-evaluate instead of change? That door you picked first could still be correct.
egonspenglersepididymis
Eh, semantics.
IAAShRaPNeL
And then there's still the fact that you have no indication of which one's corect, so technically any choice is a valid one.
egonspenglersepididymis
Hence the new choice. You don't have to choose the other one, but you have no knowledge other than 50/50 odds, so choosing new is wise.
MaybeIDontWantAUsername
My answer would be to make the choice that has the greatest life left over at the end. 1: pull the lever, 2 & 3: don't pull, 4: don't push
MaybeIDontWantAUsername
Number 5 I wouldn't change my answer as the only thing that happened was i now have a 50% chance in place of 33%
telkanuru
Or even #3?
MaybeIDontWantAUsername
Number 3 is me being kind of a jerk but, by killing the fat acceptance people the odds of making people healthier are better.
telkanuru
You're off by one. How do you evaluate "life left over" for #5
MaybeIDontWantAUsername
Number 5 I'm either right and everyone is saved or I'm wrong and they all die there is nothing I can do to improve the odds.
telkanuru
#5 is the one with pregnant women, and has nothing to do with odds.
MaybeIDontWantAUsername
You are correct I counted wrong, 5: save the pregnant women
sameoldname
in the last one, always.
Spiritofabottlenoseddolphin
This explains why you Allways change:http://math.ucr.edu/~jdp/Monty_Hall/Monty_Hall_a.GIF
TheAdventuresOfMermaidManAndBarnacleBoy
Statistically in that situation always change.
TheYasu
I'm currently in a raging debate with my fiance over this. (I agree with you)
elemjay19
Even though I'm relatively good at math, I had to repro it empirically several times before I believed it to be true. It's a confusing sitch
dukevegetables
Watch the variable change classroom scene in the movie 21. Proceed to get sympathy kisses.
wheresana
No. You're never suppose to switch your answer!
Achilles3001
You have a 1/3 chance of guessing right at first. When one of the levers is revealed to be fake, you now have a 1/2 chance. Always switch.
sameoldname
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem Yes you are.
ThisIsTheLastTimeIChangeUsernamesIPromise
...it never says what effect the working lever will have though
sameoldname
no but statistically you go from a 30% chance of being right to a 50%
intaligaro
Not to be a pedant, but a 1 in 3 chance ≠ a 30% chance! It's more like 33.333333333333333333333333333333333333yougettheidea%.
GlynStlln
And if you choose the and level you still have a50% chance of being right, you went from 30 to 50
DrSunglasses
He is saying that it is never specified what effect the working lever will have. The train could be heading to the 1 person, pulling the 1/2
DrSunglasses
"working" lever would change it towards the 5 people.
ThisIsTheLastTimeIChangeUsernamesIPromise
But how do you know that the working lever is "right"?
sameoldname
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem
ThisIsTheLastTimeIChangeUsernamesIPromise
You don't seem to understand the dilemma
MinnesotaTom
mythbusters did a thing; it mathematically works out to favor the person who changes his answer after a wrong answer is shown
ThisIsTheLastTimeIChangeUsernamesIPromise
How do you know that the fake lever is wrong? Maybe you don't want to change the outcome? It's never stated what the levers do
IAAShRaPNeL
I was always taught to never change my answer. Go with my first instinct always.
Achilles3001
You have a 1/3 chance of guessing right at first. When one of the levers is revealed to be fake, you now have a 1/2 chance. Always switch.
IAAShRaPNeL
What if I think the one I picked first is still the correct one?
Achilles3001
There is that possibility, but it's more likely you will pick the correct one on your second turn than your first.
XanderCommander
2/3*
Achilles3001
why 2/3? when one of the choices is eliminated, you only have 2 options. So you have a 1/2 chance of picking the right one.
XanderCommander
Because before you pick, you have a 1/3 chance and so there is a 2/3 chance that it is one of the other two. When they take one of those...
XanderCommander
... choices away, then the one that you didn't pick still has that 2/3 chance.
sameoldname
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem odds are better if you change.
dashers
I accept what they're saying, but I don't really understand how.
IAAShRaPNeL
That just seems flawed to me. It'd be better if it says to re-evaluate, not just outright change to the other. The first can still be right.
GdSvThQn
Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's wrong.
Yoggington
Better way is in a batch of 100. You pick one, and we'll then remove 98 fakes, leaving you with two - one is yours, the other.. now change?
IAAShRaPNeL
Nope. Wouldn't change. In my mind it makes sense.
sameoldname
There are many videos on this if you want to explore it, including a mythbusters that confirmed it, but do what you want.
IAAShRaPNeL
I'm just going off of my past experiences, and most of the time I change my guess it ends up being the one I chose first.