The Morality Quiz

[David In Indy]

Such dreadful and terrible scenarios!  

I took the quiz Kerry, but I only answered YES to one of the questions; the trolley incident. I think I could throw the switch changing the course of the trolley to strike the lone man and saving the other five. But I think I would throw the switch instinctively, and I would feel terrible about it later.

It is a part of our human nature to help and protect other people around us. These questions challenge those natural instincts of ours and they made me very uncomfortable. Just trying to imagine such situations sent cold chills up and down my spine.

Thanks for telling us about this quiz Kerry!  

[dot-matrix]

Well I can say that personally, if left up to me, we'd get shot by the enemy soliders because no way could I kill that baby no matter what.  I took the whole test too and I am definitely in the minority except on that one trolley question.

[delalluvia]

These questions are really asking us if we feel comfortable deciding who lives and dies.  And my answer to that is, no, I am not comfortable deciding that.  And in every scenario given the outcome is predetermined.  If you don't smother the baby everyone will die.  But in real life you could not be sure of the final outcome.  The baby could stop crying on its own in the nick of time, or even if the baby's cries did reveal the location of those in hidding, the soldiers still may not kill everyone.  How could you be sure that they would?  And the five people standing in front of the runaway trolley could see it at the last minute and get out of the way.

Gary 

True, but could you take the chance considering what is at stake?

[Dagi]

These questions are really asking us if we feel comfortable deciding who lives and dies.  And my answer to that is, no, I am not comfortable deciding that.  And in every scenario given the outcome is predetermined.  If you don't smother the baby everyone will die.  But in real life you could not be sure of the final outcome.  The baby could stop crying on its own in the nick of time, or even if the baby's cries did reveal the location of those in hidding, the soldiers still may not kill everyone.  How could you be sure that they would?  And the five people standing in front of the runaway trolley could see it at the last minute and get out of the way.

Gary 

No, that´s the difficut thing. Saying that one would do one or the other thing in this or that scenario is one thing, but in reality you would maybe react completely different. I assumed that the outcome is sure (if the baby goes on crying the soldiers will come in and every one will die). In real life I would maybe not give up hoping the baby might stop crying, and I would of course try everything else. But if I felt really threatened to get killed I might possibly be able to kill someone else instead. Or maybe I might not be able to overcome my mother instinct that keeps me from doing something horrible like that? I think we can´t predict that.

[ifyoucantfixit]

          Well here I am on the outside looking in again...But this story says more about the persons leadership, vs follower mentality to me..   If you would do the killing in order to save the many, you would tend to be a
leader, and feel more responsible for the group... If you would not do it, and allow fate to take over, you would then fall into the follower catagory, and hope someone else would take the job away and take the heat for doing the deed...Not passing judgement on anyone, and hope to have none passed on me...But i would not expect some last second reprieve so yes I could do it..but I would have part of my soul dead, for the rest of my life, because of it..

[David In Indy]

Don't worry, Janice.  It was only a quiz.  It's very unlikely that you'd ever have to make a choice like that. 

But I'm not sure I agree with you about the leader/follower thing.  Like I said, I can't imagine myself killing the baby.  But I'm not a follower.  I think I've demonstrated that.     But I'm not a leader either.  I'm an individual.

Gary

That baby question was the WORST of them! God, what a horrible situation! I can't see myself smothering a baby either Gary, but if my life depended on it, I would probably be very thankful to the person who did have the courage.

I can't even bear to think about it.

[dot-matrix]

As frightened as I would be, if I could not calm the baby, I think I would be more inclined to take the baby and run, hopeing to somehow escape and lead the soliders away from the others.  I really feel it would never cross my mind to kill the baby outright.  But as you say we really don't know what we would do until we are faced with an impossible horrific situation and our actual lives are on the line. 

[ifyoucantfixit]

         So Gary, are you saying that you are an anarchist.   

[ifyoucantfixit]

         I know what it means, thats why I asked you...Its the same as where the people ask if it wont be
a immoral world without religion telling everyone how to be moral...As if it is only fear that guides people.
I understand...It just doesnt work to well in the real world however.

[Dagi]

.Its the same as where the people ask if it wont be a immoral world without religion telling everyone how to be moral...

Oh yeah.    I heard that stupid argument so often I lost count...