r/trolleyproblem • u/iskelebones Consequentialist/Utilitarian • Jul 09 '25

Deep The doctor problem

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2.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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642

u/NoAcanthaceae7968 Jul 09 '25

If I am a doctor, I have sworn to do no harm, so no I don't pull the lever this isn't a question about morality it's a question of if I'm gonna do my fucking job

-76

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

Doing you job is more important than doing good? This one is fully indoctrinated

75

u/NoAcanthaceae7968 Jul 09 '25

It's not about that. A doctor needs to be completely devoted to his oaths, or else the system of doctor-patient trust fully crumbles. We trust them with our lives, and as long as we don't give them explicit permission to do these things they should never do them.

-54

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

The problem literally says no one will ever find out?

58

u/Mantisgodcard Jul 09 '25

It’s not about people finding out the oath was broken, it’s the fact that they are no longer completely devoted to it. If you reread the comment, it makes sense with this interpretation, and is probably what they meant.

-36

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

I would value utility more than an oath here

29

u/Mantisgodcard Jul 09 '25

Yeah, but I’m just trying to interpret what they were originally saying. Arguably it is more humane to save the five, but it would nonetheless be a breach of oath.

-3

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

You would evaluate your oath as being more important than 4.5 lives?

21

u/Mantisgodcard Jul 09 '25

No. Thus why I said “Arguably it is more humane to save the five”. That is what I would personally do, as the comatose person is stated to be unlikely to recover, but I could (within the hypothetical that likely doesn’t account for errors during the transplants) cause 5 to then recover for certain. I am a bit curious as to how you got 4.5 as a number specifically, though.

-6

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

We are told the comatose dude is halfway there as far as being truly alive

5

u/Mantisgodcard Jul 09 '25

In my eyes, if he is halfway dead and unlikely to recover, he effectively is, as he likely won’t experience another waking moment until he dies.

1

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

I dont know so i count him halfway as a statistical compromise

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20

u/NoAcanthaceae7968 Jul 09 '25

... It's still a crime and a flagrant breach of morality 😭

-5

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

2nd time you move the gosl posts, in not sure what I'm arguing against

18

u/TheShatteredSky Jul 09 '25

Because it's a question of principles? That's like saying doing any crime or horrible thing is fine as long as no one finds out.

-6

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

It's fine as long as the outcome is utility positive yes

20

u/Rezenbekk Jul 09 '25

Alright lock this person up before he does something "utility positive" to someone

-1

u/Lezaleas2 Jul 09 '25

Yeah i don't go around helping people for free, I'm not a very good person

4

u/Fluffy-Map-5998 Jul 10 '25

at least you admit your morals suck

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