One death at your hands or two deaths at another's hands?

[Eukaryote]

Hypothetical impossible scenario:

You are in a room with a loaded pistol and one person straped to a chair in front of you. If you don't kill this person somebody else is going to kill two other people. There is no way anybody would ever know that you killed the person in front of you if you decide to do so, and no way anybody would ever know that the other person killed two people if you decide to walk away. These people that could be killed are normal people, you do not know them. They are not heros but they've done nothing to deserve to be murdered. They are all the same age.

Do you kill the person in front of you, or do you let the other two people die?

NOTE: If you walk away the other two people have absoultly no chance of survival.

 

[Stylesrj]

If I don't get caught, then at least I'll be happier that I'll only have one person's blood on my hands, not two people's if I don't kill him.

Is there an option to shoot yourself afterwards? You know, for the more murder-suicidal people.
Anyway, I prefer one person's blood on my hands, not two

 

[Jawz II]

Since this is a hypothetical scenario, Im guessing that the other 2 will defenitely be killed? if thats the scenario, sure, Ill kill the guy, but I wont enjoy it.

 

[Eukaryote]

Since this is a hypothetical scenario, Im guessing that the other 2 will defenitely be killed?

Yes, if you walk away the other two people have absoultly no chance of survival.

 

[Gr3yL3gion]

I'll walk away.

 

[Evie]

I shoot ten characters.

 

[Ramius75]

i walk away. there is nothing i can do either, But if i can find out the sick bastard who did this trick, im going to get them at the end of the world.

 

[Stylesjl]

Shoot.

It is the only logical option

 

[FriendlyFire]

I dont think I could bring myself to kill an innocent in order to save another two.
logically i would think to shoot. morally I dont think i could do so.

 

[Turner]

Depends on who's in the chair, and who the other two to be killed are.

 

[Eukaryote]

Depends on who's in the chair, and who the other two to be killed are.

They're normal people whom you've never met, I said that in the OP.

 

[Turner]

It would still matter. Lot different when you're looking someone in the face and shooting them then two people you can't see in another room.

 

[classical_hero]

I shoot ten characters.

There is only potentially three people in this situation, so how could you shoot ten characters?

@OP. Are these people innocent bystanders that I would not know anything about?

 

[Hotpoint]

Shoot, walking away is moral cowardice since you're putting your own feelings and conscience ahead of other peoples lives.

Choosing between right and wrong is easy, choosing the lesser of two evils is trickier, but in this case one life < two lives so there's not much of a decision to make. For that matter I'd do it even if other people would find out and I'd be going to prison for it.

(But the person who put me in that situation had better hope I never catch up with them!)

 

[Mirc]

I'd shoot. Letting someone die is exactly as if you would kill him. So my choices are: kill 1 person; kill 2 persons. The answer is obvious.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I can't say. One death is preferrable to two deaths, but I would rather that someone else who has already shown that they are evil have to be the one with deaths on their conscience. It would depend on a lot of things that aren't mentioned in the OP I guess.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Shoot, walking away is moral cowardice since you're putting your own feelings and conscience ahead of other peoples lives.

Choosing between right and wrong is easy, choosing the lesser of two evils is trickier, but in this case one life < two lives so there's not much of a decision to make. For that matter I'd do it even if other people would find out and I'd be going to prison for it.

Strangley though this reminds me of the double edged of this statement. One that of the type of men which committed the holocaust in the perverted cause of saving humanity from judan and that of the moral of such men whom fought them, killed them to end this insanity by taking up war.

I dont think there is a real answer.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Id take the bullets out of the gun (if I could figure out how to), put the gun down, leave the room and call the police.

 

[pboily]

Same as in the last thread about these impossibly absurd situations.

No matter which one I chose, I would probably be troubled for life and end up killing myself in the long run.

 

[El_Machinae]

I wouldn't shoot. I am not certain enough that the bad guy will or won't kill the other two people, regardless of my actions.