What is the Trolley Problem? .
Philippa Foot was a 20th Century British philosophy who created the original trolley problem. It goes like this:
There is a train racing down the tracks towards five people who are tied up and can't get off the tracks before the train comes. You can't warn them or reach anyone in time to move them. You are standing at a switch that can steer the train on to the track next to them where one person is tied up and can't move. If you do nothing, five people will die in a freak accident. If you move the switch, you will cause one person to die.
What is the right thing to do?
Wisdom from the Crowd
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This is a little scratch-pad where we'll jot down bold statements of truth as we come across them...
#1: Why should you not hurt other people?
#2: What is the value of a life?
#3: What is the value of infinity?
http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.02/dana1.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-different-sizes-of-infinity-2013-11
Sources of Certainty
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How do you know if something is really true or if you're just making it up, dreaming it up or lying to yourself? We'll be asking that question over and over and over... so get ready to answer!
Jewish Library Catalog
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Torah:
Well, um, like "The Torah." God's revealed word and all...sacred history...Jewish founding myths. No matter who wrote it or when, pretty intense stuff.
Anyone who sheds the blood of another person, by some person shall their blood also be spilled; since God made each person in the image of the Divine.
Mishnah:
A collection of Jewish law and explanations of Torah. As old as the Torah but never written down since the Mishnah was only taught by memorization from teacher to student among the Rabbis who lived in the Land of Israel. Finally written down around 200 CE as the Romans threatened to kill off all teachers and Torah and the Rabbis did not want their tradition forgotten.
(ה) כֵּיצַד מְאַיְּמִין אֶת הָעֵדִים עַל עֵדֵי נְפָשׁוֹת, הָיוּ מַכְנִיסִין אוֹתָן וּמְאַיְּמִין עֲלֵיהֶן. ...לֹּא כְדִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת, אָדָם נוֹתֵן מָמוֹן וּמִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ. דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת, דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו תְּלוּיִין בּוֹ עַד סוֹף הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בְקַיִן שֶׁהָרַג אֶת אָחִיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ד) דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ צֹעֲקִים, אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר דַּם אָחִיךָ אֶלָּא דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו. דָּבָר אַחֵר, דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, שֶׁהָיָה דָמוֹ מֻשְׁלָךְ עַל הָעֵצִים וְעַל הָאֲבָנִים. לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁכָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.
How do we press the witnesses in a capital case? We bring them in [to the court's chambers] and tell them: In capital cases, the blood of [the victim [and all his future offspring hang upon you until the end of time.
The proof for this is as we found with Cain, who killed his brother, as it is stated concerning him: “The voice of your brother’s blood [demei] cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). The verse does not state: Your brother’s blood [dam], in the singular, but rather: “Your brother’s blood [demei],” in the plural. This serves to teach that the loss of both his brother’s blood and the blood of his brother’s offspring are ascribed to Cain.
The court tells the witnesses: Therefore, Adam the first man was created alone, to teach you that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
Talmud:
After the memorized tradition was written down in 200 CE, the Rabbis continued to discuss it in academies in the Land of Israel and in Babylon. They argued about every possible detail, tried to prove which decisions were the one's they received from God and often added new ideas. All these discussions were recorded as the Talmud around 450 CE. The Talmud is THE major source of what we know as Judaism today. Without the Talmud it would be hard to tell the difference between Judaism and other religions like Christianity.
The Gemara asks: From where do we learn the law that a murderer himself must be killed before the person can commit murder? The Gemara answers: It is based on logical reasoning that one life is not preferable to another, and therefore there is no need for a verse in the Torah to teach this halakha.
The Gemara relates an incident to demonstrate this: As when a certain person came before Rabba and said to him: The non-Jewish ruler of my town said to me: Go kill so-and-so, and if not I will kill you, what shall I do? Rabba said to him: It is preferable that the ruler should kill you and you should not kill another. Who is to say that your blood is redder than the other person, that your life is worth more than the one he wants you to kill? Perhaps that man’s blood is redder. This logical reasoning is the basis for the halakha that one may not save his own life by killing another.
