Silliness Question Everything? - Page 968

Solitaire1 · 01-02-2021, 12:57 PM

Didn't an episode of The Twilight Zone indicate that if you travel into the past what has happened will happen no matter what you do? In fact, wouldn't your actions attempting to prevent something from happening lead to it happening because of your actions?

binaryhermit · 01-02-2021, 01:05 PM

What if you had perfect knowledge of the future and that killing someone now could prevent many deaths in the future?

Solitaire1 · 01-02-2021, 01:42 PM

Would the perfect knowledge of the future include the ramifications of taking that action? What if the results are worse than the future you are trying to prevent?

pdurrant · 01-02-2021, 03:49 PM

This question needs a little set-up.

Five people are stuck on a train track. A train is coming. There is no time to free them before the train arrives, but you can pull a lever to divert the train to another track. The other track has just one person stuck on it. A train will run along on that track too, but you do have time to free them before it arrives. But there isn't time to free them if you divert this train onto the track too. (The two trains will not crash no matter what you do.)

All the people are ordinary, innocent people, stuck on the train tracks (never mind how) through no fault of their own.

Should you pull the lever?

drjd · 01-03-2021, 04:36 AM

Has someone seen so many full stops in this thread before?

pdurrant · 01-03-2021, 12:40 PM

Perhaps you could think of it a one, long, question?

Solitaire1 · 01-03-2021, 02:39 PM

Wouldn't putting it in parenthesis before the actual question make it part of the question?

pdurrant · 01-03-2021, 02:54 PM

Wouldn't that make it not part of the question?

But the post references the question from the very first word (This), so doesn't that make the whole post one long question?

binaryhermit · 01-03-2021, 03:07 PM

Why are we arguing about what makes something part of a question?

DNSB · 01-03-2021, 04:35 PM

Is this thread not called Silliness Question Everything?

binaryhermit · 01-03-2021, 05:48 PM

Does that really matter?

drjd · 01-04-2021, 05:06 AM

How come?

binaryhermit · 01-04-2021, 12:02 PM

Am I supposed to have an answer to that question?

Solitaire1 · 01-04-2021, 02:07 PM

Wouldn't you have to answer that question with a question?

binaryhermit · 01-04-2021, 02:09 PM

Maybe?

01-02-2021, 03:49 PM	#14509
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,082 Karma: 315558332 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	This question needs a little set-up. Five people are stuck on a train track. A train is coming. There is no time to free them before the train arrives, but you can pull a lever to divert the train to another track. The other track has just one person stuck on it. A train will run along on that track too, but you do have time to free them before it arrives. But there isn't time to free them if you divert this train onto the track too. (The two trains will not crash no matter what you do.) All the people are ordinary, innocent people, stuck on the train tracks (never mind how) through no fault of their own. Should you pull the lever? Last edited by pdurrant; 01-02-2021 at 03:52 PM.

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01-02-2021, 12:57 PM	#14506
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,951 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	Didn't an episode of The Twilight Zone indicate that if you travel into the past what has happened will happen no matter what you do? In fact, wouldn't your actions attempting to prevent something from happening lead to it happening because of your actions?

01-02-2021, 01:05 PM	#14507
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,732 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	What if you had perfect knowledge of the future and that killing someone now could prevent many deaths in the future?

01-02-2021, 01:42 PM	#14508
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,951 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	Would the perfect knowledge of the future include the ramifications of taking that action? What if the results are worse than the future you are trying to prevent?

01-03-2021, 04:36 AM	#14510
drjd The Couch Potato Posts: 34,509 Karma: 230999999 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Touch, Archos 9, Onyx Boox C67ML Carta	Has someone seen so many full stops in this thread before?

01-03-2021, 12:40 PM	#14511
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,082 Karma: 315558332 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Perhaps you could think of it a one, long, question?

01-03-2021, 02:39 PM	#14512
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,951 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	Wouldn't putting it in parenthesis before the actual question make it part of the question?

01-03-2021, 02:54 PM	#14513
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,082 Karma: 315558332 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Wouldn't that make it not part of the question? But the post references the question from the very first word (This), so doesn't that make the whole post one long question?

01-03-2021, 03:07 PM	#14514
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,732 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Why are we arguing about what makes something part of a question?

01-03-2021, 04:35 PM	#14515
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 46,718 Karma: 169712580 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	Is this thread not called Silliness Question Everything?

01-03-2021, 05:48 PM	#14516
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,732 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Does that really matter?

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01-04-2021, 05:06 AM	#14517
drjd The Couch Potato Posts: 34,509 Karma: 230999999 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Touch, Archos 9, Onyx Boox C67ML Carta	How come?

01-04-2021, 12:02 PM	#14518
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,732 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Am I supposed to have an answer to that question?

01-04-2021, 02:07 PM	#14519
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,951 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	Wouldn't you have to answer that question with a question?

01-04-2021, 02:09 PM	#14520
binaryhermit Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,732 Karma: 20469902 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Lockport, IL Device: Kindle PW4, Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	Maybe?