RE: Stopping the trolley

I think you are right--our sense of responsibility seems to play a big part--which I think goes along with the earlier suggestion of throwing oneself on the tracks instead of the fat man. And it definitely complicates things if a loved one is about to be killed. I'm still not sure I could easily make that choice though--trade one life (other than my own) for someone I happen to care about. I would always be thinking: "the fat man has a family, too"

I guess we have to hope Spiderman shows up. I think it would be interesting to see a hero that cannot save everyone the way it normally happens in Hollywood--and see how he/she comes to terms with that fact.

Maybe the essence of these moral questions is that there usually isn't a right answer. No matter what you did, there would be a good reason for doing it. Even if someone did nothing, people would understand--it's easy to be paralyzed with fear or indecision in such a situation. The exception would be if that person actually caused the trolley malfunction.

LOL--True--I'm sure nobody minds me quoting Trek on OmniNerd. I am only hesitant because it's not always a reliable source of wisdom. Ursula K. LeGuin, on the other hand--she always amazes me with her insight.

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