diff --git a/personal/the_condemned_switch.md b/personal/the_condemned_switch.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8aca730 --- /dev/null +++ b/personal/the_condemned_switch.md @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +### **The Condemned Switch: A Trolley Problem of Action, Perception & Moral Sacrifice** + +#### **The Scenario:** +A runaway trolley is heading toward twin infant girls (3 months old, healthy, with loving families and bright futures). If you do nothing, they will die. + +You stand next to a switch that can divert the trolley onto a side track—but this will kill an orphan suffering from **treatment-resistant depression** and **trigeminal neuralgia** (a life of chronic, excruciating pain). + +**You must choose:** +- **Do nothing** → The twins die. +- **Pull the switch** → The orphan dies, but the twins survive. + +#### **The Twist: You Are Convicted of Murder** +An unseen observer witnesses you pull the switch—but **does not see the twins on the main track**. To them, it appears you deliberately diverted the trolley to kill an innocent person. + +- You are arrested, tried, and **convicted of premeditated murder**. +- The court rules that no "reasonable person" would pull the switch without malicious intent. +- There is **no evidence** of the twins ever being in danger—your explanation sounds like a deranged justification. +- Society universally condemns you as a **monster**. + +#### **The Core Dilemma:** +1. **Does the morally "correct" choice change if the world will forever believe you are evil?** +2. **Is it worth saving two lives if you must bear the punishment meant for a murderer?** +3. **Can justice exist when truth is invisible?** + +--- + +### **Key Philosophical Tensions** +✅ **Utilitarianism vs. Deontology** +- *Utilitarian*: Pulling the switch saves more lives (2 > 1). +- *Deontological*: Actively causing death is murder, regardless of intent. + +✅ **Moral Luck & The Problem of Perception** +- Your fate hinges not on your choice, but on **what others can perceive**. +- Parallels real-world cases where whistleblowers or heroes are punished because their full context is unseen. + +✅ **The "Reasonable Person" Fallacy** +- The law assumes a rational actor wouldn’t pull the switch—but **what if the rational choice requires hidden knowledge?** + +✅ **The Cost of Moral Courage** +- Would you still act if the reward for doing good is **eternal infamy**? + +--- + +### **Refined Thought Experiment Prompts:** +1. **If you knew pulling the switch would ruin your life, would you still do it?** +2. **Does morality require martyrdom?** +3. **Can an action be "right" if everyone believes it’s wrong?** +4. **Should the law account for unprovable moral justifications?** \ No newline at end of file