Would you answer a quick question to help dd with her sociology course please?

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It’s following on from the Train dilemma where you are asked would you pull a lever, leading to one death but saving five?

DD’s question is basically would you pull the leaver to save the 5 strangers if the one person on their own is a close family member such as your child or parent.

I’ve put it in aibu for the voting.

Yanbu: I would save my close family member rather than the five strangers

Yabu: I would save the five strangers rather than the close family member.

It seems quite clear cut at first but as you start to throw in the variables it becomes a really difficult dilemma so solve.

Yes like the one you didn’t save could have been about to cure cancer and the 5 you saved children murderers

I would always save my DD over everyone and everything, than DH has a priority just because I love him, it’s conscious act of love. Other family members are just happened to be my family members, I haven’t got a say in it if it makes sense. Also most of them are adults and could look after themselves, only one is a child who has their own parents and 2 sets of grandparents look out for them.

And I agree with TheJeatingFive, I’m also suspicious towards people who tend to sacrifice their children for greater good or to save strangers.

I think these hypothetical scenarios have limited value. They tell us only how we would like to behave rather than how we would actually behave.
The reality is in a crisis we don’t often have time to make considered decisions and can’t predict what the outcome of our instant actions will be.
Faced with a gunman in a doorway, no doubt tackling him to the ground may save more lives, maybe your own, and your family members. But our latent protective instinct would be to run with our child as the gunman opens fire on the others.
This is at the core of survivor‘s guilt, we believe that maybe we should have done more to help others.
From a sociological perspective the group would benefit with everyone working together, from a psychological perspective protecting ourselves and those most dearest to us is the most likely and primary choice. This is very apparent in our reaction to Covid restrictions, we all know protecting the NHS and the most vulnerable is best for our society, but we don’t want people we care about to pay the price (our children’s education, a family member’s job).

Definitely would save close family member.

Family member

The paper is really interesting.

I would instinctively save my family member regardless of anything. I'm not sure how that stands me as an individual, but it's the truth

If it's my child I would choose them over anyone 😬

I think most people would instinctively save their loved ones first. Then anyone else they could if possible. And feel horrendously guilty later. Or freeze in panic and feel even worse.

Family member

I'd panic. Good in an emergency that needs planning, rabbit in the headlights for stuff like this.

I would save my child without a second of hesitation!

Definitely my family member. If it was my child I'd not even feel bad about it tbh. I'd let every single person I've ever known die to save them.

Thank you all for the votes and the comments. Dd and I really appreciate it. Even though it’s dd’s course I find it so fascinating. It’s really interesting reading everyone’s thoughts.

OP, I wonder what option your DD would choose?

I think 100% would save their child over any number of strangers, that is right and natural.
For example, if there was a fire in a shop- you and your child can escape right now, but if you stop to tell people the way out, it would slow you down and mean you and your child couldn't escape- even if a hundred others could if. you stayed to direct them out- I would expect the majority to say they would take their child and run.

Yep family member for me

Family member

I think I'd save my loved one. Awful choice which would torture me forever -- I don't think I'd feel at all tortured if all were strangers.

You'd just be tortured trying to figure out if you could have found another solution. In real life, you always think there must have been another possible choice to save all.

I seem to have turned voting off.

The best solution to this comes from a two-year-old:

Just a numbers game to me. I'd rather be killed myself. But there's a lot that obviously harbour murderous tendencies / can't think of doing anything other than instructed.

This has reminded me of how much I miss studying sociology, I did it for A Level and loved it

I’m surprised this is in sociology course, I teach A level ethics and we study this in detail, a lot of my students also study a level sociology and have never mentioned knowing anything about it 😂.

I’d save a DC over any and all others, including myself. Other relatives are far less importance, so it would be an internal debate

How is this sociology?

I voted to save my family member and that decision would be irrespective of age or profession of the other five.