this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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Would You Rather

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Welcome to c/WouldYouRather, where we present you with the toughest, most ridiculous choices you never knew you had to make! Would you rather have a third arm that's only useful for picking your nose, or be able to talk to animals but only if they're wearing hats? Yeah, it's that kind of vibe. Come for the absurdity, stay because you've clearly got nothing better to do with your life.

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Option 1: Let the serial killer-rapist go free. You know they will continue harming others, but you do not take any life yourself.

Option 2: Execute a 100% innocent man in public. The man is certainly innocent, and your action will end an innocent life for no reason other than this choice.

Which do you choose and why?

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[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Smarter men than me have said that it's better to let ten men go free who are guilty of the same thing the one innocent man is not guilty of, rather than imprisoning the one innocent man. So I'll go with just the one being set free.

Option 1 does not preclude the decisions, actions, or efforts of others to stop this killer. If I had the option of capturing him, surely others will as well.

Arguably, the question is poorly worded as Option 2 does not define what will happen to the guilty man. Will he be executed, or sent to jail? That is to ask: what does killing the innocent man gain us? Is it a question of "both must die, or neither"?

There is an implied third option here. If the only requirement of the second man be that he is innocent of the crime, assuming the person answering is as well, the third option is to make your choice — condemn the innocent man — and then switch places with him.

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

This guy philosophizes