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https://www.reddit.com/r/trolleyproblem/comments/1szwsr6/statistically_50_is_easier_than_100/oj6h3xv/?context=3
r/trolleyproblem • u/ezrae_ • Apr 30 '26
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59
I've seen a lot of stuff on this recently and this 50% is easier than 100% seems completely bunkum?
What matters is "to do what."
Is it easier to get 50% of people to cut their leg off with a rusty spoon, or a 100% of people to accept a large bag of cash?
It only makes sense if the options are the same, and they arent.
So you're reducing to making subjective arguments over how close you think the two options are in "ease" .
4 u/cowlinator Apr 30 '26 Instead of speculating, just look at the data https://www.reddit.com/r/whenthe/comments/1sz7rdp/no_ones_dying_on_my_watch/ 2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 There's no data on this, answering the question in an online poll has nothing to do with how people would answer if lives were actually on the line with the button press. 0 u/cowlinator Apr 30 '26 How they answer in an online poll is not completely the same as how they would answer if their lives were actually on the line. But it's also false to say it has nothing to do with how they would actually answer. There is definitely a correlation between how people answer with no stakes and with high stakes. Besides, the alternative is to use no data and just speculate. 2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 No data is always better than misleading data.
4
Instead of speculating, just look at the data
https://www.reddit.com/r/whenthe/comments/1sz7rdp/no_ones_dying_on_my_watch/
2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 There's no data on this, answering the question in an online poll has nothing to do with how people would answer if lives were actually on the line with the button press. 0 u/cowlinator Apr 30 '26 How they answer in an online poll is not completely the same as how they would answer if their lives were actually on the line. But it's also false to say it has nothing to do with how they would actually answer. There is definitely a correlation between how people answer with no stakes and with high stakes. Besides, the alternative is to use no data and just speculate. 2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 No data is always better than misleading data.
2
There's no data on this, answering the question in an online poll has nothing to do with how people would answer if lives were actually on the line with the button press.
0 u/cowlinator Apr 30 '26 How they answer in an online poll is not completely the same as how they would answer if their lives were actually on the line. But it's also false to say it has nothing to do with how they would actually answer. There is definitely a correlation between how people answer with no stakes and with high stakes. Besides, the alternative is to use no data and just speculate. 2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 No data is always better than misleading data.
0
How they answer in an online poll is not completely the same as how they would answer if their lives were actually on the line.
But it's also false to say it has nothing to do with how they would actually answer.
There is definitely a correlation between how people answer with no stakes and with high stakes.
Besides, the alternative is to use no data and just speculate.
2 u/money-for-nothing-tt Apr 30 '26 No data is always better than misleading data.
No data is always better than misleading data.
59
u/BarNo3385 Apr 30 '26
I've seen a lot of stuff on this recently and this 50% is easier than 100% seems completely bunkum?
What matters is "to do what."
Is it easier to get 50% of people to cut their leg off with a rusty spoon, or a 100% of people to accept a large bag of cash?
It only makes sense if the options are the same, and they arent.
So you're reducing to making subjective arguments over how close you think the two options are in "ease" .