- Aug 28, 2007
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I dont think the difficult balance between valuing the life of a beloved vs valuing their freedom from suffering maps onto the trolley problem, which can be summarized with no loss of meaning as: is it OK to steer danger toward less populated areas? There's really nothing else to draw out of the problem presented as its given to us above.Thank you for your empathy. I'm sorry about your mother. I mentioned my situation only as a means of pointing out that it can be a real life problem.
I don't agree with you. I think its exactly the same problem as the trolley. In this case 'degree of suffering' is a substitute for 'number of people killed'. 'Pulling the lever' is analogous to actively causing death and minimising suffering while not pulling the lever amounts to passively allowing prolonged suffering.
OB
I think hard conflicts of values would require a different hypothetical to explore, or some very significant elaboration on the one I read. The problem you graciously offered from your own experience seems much more difficult, for individuals involved, and for the law.
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