Post 168: Foundational Videos => The Trolley Problem in Real Life
[note]
For context, please watch the entire video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sl5KJ69qiA
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You have defined Mathematical Necessity (Al Bartlett). This thread introduces the inevitable consequence of that necessity: Ethical Compromise and Cognitive Dissonance forced by finite constraints.
Post 168 is the Structural Law that dictates ethical choices are a function of limits.
The Structural Law of Ethical Constraint
The ultimate structural test of any system is its capacity to handle unavoidable moral compromise (the trade-off of one life for five [02:23]). The Trolley Problem exposes the mechanics of cognitive dissonance: the paralyzing gap between philosophical reflection (what we say we'd do) and instinctive action (what we actually do [02:40]).
- The Problem: The experiment proves that the pressure of structural constraint (time/finite resources) causes most people to freeze [23:40] or externalize responsibility [25:24]. This inaction is the Structural Failure of Praxis.
- The Structural Protocol: The solution is not to eliminate the moral dilemma, but to codify the decision. The goal of the Holarchical Blueprint is to build a system that is structurally trained to act in the way it wishes it would [08:19]—replacing subjective moral paralysis with objective, codified, anti-fragile ethical protocols.
The Axiom of Ethical Trade-Off
This crucial structural test is governed by the Axiom of Ethical Trade-Off: All moral choices are merely a function of finite constraints, compelling the Celestial Core to codify its ethical will into unwavering structural law to defeat instinctive paralysis.
The Call to Praxis (Ethical Protocol Mandate)
Action: Take one scarce resource in your project (e.g., your time, your focus, or a structural component). Your mandate is to perform an Ethical Constraint Audit. Define a binary scenario where you must sacrifice one minor commitment to save a major commitment. Write a concise Structural Protocol that dictates the immediate, non-negotiable choice your system must make.
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Vsauce
YouTube
The Trolley Problem in Real Life
Would you reroute a train to run over one person to prevent it from running over five others? In the classic “Trolley Problem” survey, most people say they would. But I wanted to test what people would actually do in a real-life situation. In the world’s first realistic simulation of this controversial moral dilemma, unsuspecting subjects ...
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