Question:
Here's the second dilemma.

A runaway trolley car is hurtling down a track. In its path are five people who will definitely be killed unless you, a bystander, flip a switch which will divert it on to another track, where it will kill one person. Should you flip the switch?

Choices:
Yes
No

 

I think that the last questions are all the same. I think the key to the Sugya is the Gemarah in Yuma 82b and Sanhedrin 74a and the following is the paraphrase of Kollel Iyun Hadaf

(e) Question: How do we know that must forfeit his life and not murder?

(f) Answer: Reasoning teaches this.

1. A man asked Rava: The mayor told me to kill Peloni or be killed - what should I do?

2. Rava: Be killed, do not kill - perhaps Peloni is more worthy to live than you!
So it would seem from this that you can't kill to save. But this is a start. More Later.

Flipping the switch would be taking action that would kill the one person.

On the other hand, if you could save that one person after you flip the switch, that would turn things around.

Alex, who are we to judge whether the five people are worth more saving than the one?

Yisroel, that's exactly my point. Taking action that is sure to kill one person is something we should not do, even if it saves five others. But to add another spin to the plot, if we can save that one person - that's a different matter. Or is it?

quote:

But to add another spin to the plot, if we can save that one person - that's a different matter. Or is it?

Dear Alex:

Am I correct that you would be comfortable applying your solution to the following scenario?

There is a van with 5 people stuck on a rail track.

There is a train heading toward them that will not have time to stop.

There is a switch that can put the train onto another track by which it will not hit this van and kill the 5 people inside...

But if 1 mile down that track is a small shack, with a telephone, and possibly 1 person inside, asleep... that somehow was built on the track but was never an issue since trains always go by the first track...

Since there is a chance that the train could stop in time before hitting the shack, or that the person in the shack could be moved away in time...

You would be willing to put the 1 person at increased risk (really the risk was there -- anyone could have hit the switch at any time prior for other than the reason of these 5)?

Quote "But to add another spin to the plot, if we can save that one person - that's a different matter. Or is it?"

If you can save everyone, then it wouldn't be a question. The whole question is assuming that there is no other options. This means that you don't have Jimmy Olsen able to contact Superman for you either

Rob, would I have a way to contact that person who lives in the house on the track and tell him to get out of the house, or else?