This apparently gives us the right to end other people’s lives
Thought Experiments 🤔
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Mar 25, 2026
0
#2
Well…apparently in this society it’s “my body my choice”
This apparently gives us the right to end other people’s lives
This apparently gives us the right to end other people’s lives
VictoryW10 wrote:
Smh I feel like this’ll explode
Almost definitely not haha 😅. It's a weird thought experiment, and I can't even make up my mind. I feel like if I just woke up there, then that means I was KIDNAPPED, which is ILLEGAL, so I'd probably pull the plug 🤷
Tucker_CheckmatedYou wrote:
#2 inb4thelock but I agree
I am sorry, but I couldn't understand the entire first half of that sentence.
I’ll unplug him. I’ve never been much of a fan of violin music.
Mar 25, 2026
0
#8
This is just the abortion issue with extra steps (right down to the length of the contested period of time), but I say that you stay plugged, then you and the violinist mutually sue the hospital for being so incompetent that this laughably convoluted plan was their best plan to revive the violinist.
YES!! I LOVE IT!!!
Thought experiment #2- The Poisoned Well
There is only one well in a very remote kingdom. The well is poisoned, and anyone who drinks from it will go insane. The king is the only person who knows the well is poisoned, so he doesn't drink from it. All the citizens of the kingdom drink the water and go insane, They look at the king, the only sane one, and conclude that he is the crazy one, because he is the only one acting differently.
The question is: If everyone in the world is "crazy" except for you, are you the sane one, or is sanity just whatever the majority of people believe?
Mar 26, 2026
0
#11
Sanity is the state of total comprehension, not a vote of the people. If someone is dubbed “insane” it is because of actions that are not justified or potentially made to harm themselves or others. The king is still sane; the people can believe what they want but that don’t change the fact their crazy
Very well put!
Also, the king knew the well was poisoned but didn't tell anyone, thus harming his entire kingdom, so maybe he IS insane!
Mar 26, 2026
0
#15
Well if it is the only water source you will have to drink it at some point so might as well drink now.
yeah but you could at least tell the citizens and try to find a solution
Mary's Room
Mary is a brilliant scientist who knows every single physical fact about the color red—the wavelengths, how the eye processes it, and the neurons that fire in the brain. However, she has lived her entire life in a black-and-white room and has never actually seen the color. One day, she is released and sees a red apple for the first time.
The Question: Does Mary learn anything new? If she does, it suggests that "physical facts" aren't everything and that there is a subjective "quality" to experience (called qualia) that science cannot fully capture.
honestly not sure unfortunately
That's alright! I can't make up my mind either. 😆
Daughter-Of-Galahop wrote:
Mary's Room
Mary is a brilliant scientist who knows every single physical fact about the color red—the wavelengths, how the eye processes it, and the neurons that fire in the brain. However, she has lived her entire life in a black-and-white room and has never actually seen the color. One day, she is released and sees a red apple for the first time.
The Question: Does Mary learn anything new? If she does, it suggests that "physical facts" aren't everything and that there is a subjective "quality" to experience (called qualia) that science cannot fully capture.
Yes, experiencing something yourself firsthand is an entirely new experience from "knowing" something from secondhand accounts. Further, each moment is entirely unique. Even if broader actions remain the same (ie playing chess), the exact moment, location, pieces people move to, etc are all different. Entire cultures have been built on appreciating the small things, no matter how difficult it may be to actually put into practice.
Thought Experiment #1- The Violinist
Imagine you wake up in a hospital bed, and your circulatory system has been plugged into a famous, unconscious violinist. He has a fatal kidney ailment, and only your blood can filter his toxins. If you unplug him now, he dies; if you stay plugged in for nine months, he recovers and you both go free.
The question is: Does the violinist’s right to life outweigh your right to control your own body, even if unplugging him results in his death?