this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't get it. Do we know that the trolley is heading for the people or not? Do we know if flipping the switch moves it away from whatever track that the people are on? Or is it going in the main track in all instances unless you hit the switch?

I assume a villain would aim the trolley at the people, regardless of what track they're on. That's why they're villains. So I would always flip it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

It's a standard runaway trolley problem. The trolley is traveling down the main track unless the switch is flipped to send it down the side track. The lever is labeled such that there is no ambiguity which way it is set, the blindfolds notwithstanding. The villain is pernicious and will be equally (though not exceedingly so) delighted to see you die by your own action where inaction would have had saved you. You can somehow trust that the announcement in the headphones is true and not a lie. Such as, for example, you have seen this exact situation happen many times before on TV and survivors/witnesses have described the villain to be truthful every time.