The Bullet

[Angrist]

I would do my best to save the kid's life, but I don't think I would take the bullet.

[Crash]

Random Kid no, buttttt...

A run away cable car was careening down the street towards you, and your foot is stuck so you can't move. You couldn't stop it, but you can reach a switch that you could change the track. However, the switch would switch it to the track where a child is standing, and he would certainly die instead. What would you do?





once answered...





A run away cable car was careening down the street towards a construction worker, and you couldn't stop it, or warn them, yet had a switch that you could change the track. However, the switch would switch it to the track where a child is standing, and he would certainly die too. What would you do?






once answered.





A run away cable car was careening down the street towards a group of 3 construction workers, and you couldn't stop it, or warn them, yet had a switch that you could change the track. However, the switch would switch it to the track where a child is standing, and he would certainly die too. What would you do?

[Professor S]

No, and to be quite honest I doubt many other people would either. Its not about self analysis or even philosophy, it's about instinct and I highly doubt anyone would instinctively put themselves at mortal risk to save a stranger regardless of the danger posed to that stranger. I can count on one hand the amount of lifelong friends I believe I would endanger myself to save, when I'm honest with myself.

To tie things together, this is also why I believe large government programs fail. You can pretend to care and it feels good to imagine you do, but when a person becomes a number reality and human nature have a harsh way of butchering those ideals. This is why I've always believed that family (whatever its made of) should be the basis of society and culture, not government. Government pretends to look out for you, you're family really does.

[Typhoid]

I would try to take the bullet, yeah.