Posted: 6/18/2010 10:20:26 AM EDT
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A stranger is pinned under a piece of machinery, they are unconscious.
The machine will either crush their skull or spine. 1) Would you move the machine from the skull to the spine? This allows the stranger to live, but paralized from the neck down. 2) Would you move the machine from the spine to the skull? This saves them from a life bound to a wheelchair and breathing machine....(Christopher Reeve). No one but you will know you touched the machine. No one would even know you had the choice. Their death would be instantaneous. EDIT- What if you were under the machine, What would you want me to do? Same rules apply, unconcsious, instant death and Christopher Reeve type life. To edit this for further explaination.... You find the machine is about to crush their skull, moving it slightly crushed their spine. Your act saves their life. You find the machine is about to crush their spine, moving it slightly crushes their skull. Your act is one of mercy. |
I would pick #1, because I am at least trying to save his life. I don't choose who lives or dies unless you threaten me, my family or an innocent person. With advances in science you never know the futureof medicine. God put on this earth to be a good man, I haven't always lived up to that so hopefully this will give me credit back on my "Get out of Hell Free" credit card (its been maxed out for awhile ). I am sure I will be burned for this but it doesn't matter. 
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Sometimes the best course of action is no action: by that I mean I would not strategically position the victim in the manner suggested by your questioning. It's a huge liability. 
With that said, I would try to save them by stopping the machine or getting them out of the way (ripping a limb off if necessary). I would try to minimize the amount of injury and suffering - in this case by protecting the victims head first, then the rest (and thus my answer). However, I would not purposefully manipulate the machine or the victim in the manner that you describe by "choosing" what injury they should have - rather I would simply do what I can to save him and minimize injury to the extent possible. I certainly won't aid in his death - that can be his choice. Likewise, I would expect the same from any other bystander. |
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Holden: You're in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down... Leon: What one? Holden: What? Leon: What desert? Holden: It doesn't make any difference what desert, it's completely hypothetical. Leon: But, how come I'd be there? Holden: Maybe you're fed up. Maybe you want to be by yourself. Who knows? You look down and see a tortoise, Leon. It's crawling toward you... Leon: Tortoise? What's that? Holden: [irritated by Leon's interruptions] You know what a turtle is? Leon: Of course! Holden: Same thing. Leon: I've never seen a turtle... But I understand what you mean. Holden: You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back, Leon. Leon: Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden? Or do they write 'em down for you? Holden: The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Leon: [angry at the suggestion] What do you mean, I'm not helping? Holden: I mean: you're not helping! Why is that, Leon? [Leon has become visibly shaken] Holden: They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response... Shall we continue? |
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Quoted: My mother? I'll tell you about my mother!Holden: You're in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down... Leon: What one? Holden: What? Leon: What desert? Holden: It doesn't make any difference what desert, it's completely hypothetical. Leon: But, how come I'd be there? Holden: Maybe you're fed up. Maybe you want to be by yourself. Who knows? You look down and see a tortoise, Leon. It's crawling toward you... Leon: Tortoise? What's that? Holden: [irritated by Leon's interruptions] You know what a turtle is? Leon: Of course! Holden: Same thing. Leon: I've never seen a turtle... But I understand what you mean. Holden: You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back, Leon. Leon: Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden? Or do they write 'em down for you? Holden: The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Leon: [angry at the suggestion] What do you mean, I'm not helping? Holden: I mean: you're not helping! Why is that, Leon? [Leon has become visibly shaken] Holden: They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response... Shall we continue? |
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It's not my position to decide someone I don't know would be better off dead than alive w/ disabilities. So either way you wouldnt move the machine, knowing that, all you need to do is move it a small bit to save their life? So by not moving the machine you sentence them to death. |
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It's not my position to decide someone I don't know would be better off dead than alive w/ disabilities. So either way you wouldnt move the machine, knowing that, all you need to do is move it a small bit to save their life? So by not moving the machine you sentence them to death. No. You misunderstand me. Given your options, I'd do whatever it took to let him live. So I'd save him w/ paralysis. If he later decides that life isn't worth living, he's free to off himself. That's not my concern. |
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It's not my position to decide someone I don't know would be better off dead than alive w/ disabilities. So either way you wouldnt move the machine, knowing that, all you need to do is move it a small bit to save their life? So by not moving the machine you sentence them to death. No. You misunderstand me. Given your options, I'd do whatever it took to let him live. So I'd save him w/ paralysis. If he later decides that life isn't worth living, he's free to off himself. That's not my concern. sorry I read your statement wrong. I agree with you. I would want the person to kill me, but understand if they could not without my asking. My choice would be to crush the spine. |
