Quick Question...

[Alissa of Someday]

So, just hypothetically, let's say that you were standing just beyond where a railroad track forks--splitting off to the left and right, from your perspective. Currently, it is switched so that an incoming train'll go to the left, but, standing there, you are within yanking distance of a lever that switches the path from one side to the other, if you wanted to.

Now, the thing is, right now there's a train, (driven by a good friend of yours, as a matter of fact, who may or may not be possessed) coming down the main track towards the split at blazing speeds. Furthermore, your family members, and your best friend in the world are standing on the left track--currently in the path of the train's furious rush! if you don't stop the train coming down that way, they will certainly be crushed.

The thing is...On the right side of the track, is your true love. They are from the future, speak several languages, (including binary), are holding a baby that may, or may not be yours, and, if they survive, will invent a cure for cancer. If you switch the track over to the right side...they will most certainly perish.

Beyond this though, there's a group of of Uruk-Hai approaching from behind--they've been sent by Boss Saruman t'snuff you out. Thing is, the left track curves around a little bit behind you...so if you let your family and friend die, it will also kill these creatures in one fell swoop, and save you a good bit of trouble.
Simultaneously, if you change the lever from how it is ow, it will be terrible for the railworker's union.

On the other hand though, if the train driver and your true love both survive, then he will definitely steal her away with his rogueish charm...and then use the cure for cancer to create an evil supercorperation, to the woe of many.

...Anyways. You also have a pistol with a single bullet in, but only enough time to perform a single action--what is it?

[Mitera Nikkou]

Okay, you got me... I must post a response to this. Damn you! *Shakes fist*

Assuming that I am aware of the results of my actions (which your presentation suggests is possible), and that, in the moment of my decision, I somehow manage to become aware of all of these things around me, I have come to the conclusion that I could take simultaneous actions to pwn this scenario: I use one hand to shoot the good friend driving the train while my free hand points toward my family and best friend while I shout, "get off the track!" (Morons! ;p)

Now for the explanation.

1: I can't accept that it's impossible to do more than one thing at a time. At worst I might miss my shot with my attention divided. But if I didn't think I could pull it off, I can save the shot for later, and dispose of the good friend when a better opportunity arrives. Even if that means long enough for him to enrapture my lover, in which case that wouldn't make her much of a lover and so... I'd catch them with their heads close together (kissing, I imagine), and fire the bullet then so it passes through both of their brains. I then go on with my life and raise my child, who will become an upstanding and famous person, a shining example of how not to be like those people I killed all those years ago.

2: The family, best friend and lover are all standing and not bound. Unless they're retards the family and best friend will listen and step away from the tracks. If they don't, surely I couldn't have liked them to begin with, as I wouldn't have been able to stand such ignorance, and thus they wouldn't have been a loss. I'll leave the train to travel left no matter what, so those Uruk-Hai won't be a problem no matter the outcome.

3: Beyond that, if any of those things don't pan out, I'd just shrug and walk away from the lever. The train will kill the Uruk-Hai, my family and best friend, and my so-called lover and good friend will hit it off and do whatever it is they'll do. That's because this is all a lie: I could care less about my family, I don't have a good or best friend, and I certainly don't have a lover and child (and I'll likely never will). Also, an evil corporation is none of my concern, since plenty of those exist already. Another one isn't going to matter.

Oh, and I'd save the bullet for when I see an opportunity to fire it and cause a series of events that will ultimately destroy the universe. Playing dominoes on such a large scale would be fun.

(Also, you really could have supplied people with more choices. ;p)

[Alissa of Someday]

XD...Drew you out, did I?

Ye've caught on though, I think--or close enough, at least. This questions was actually originally made last year in my psychology class--they gave us a question where it was basically the same at it's core--you're family on one side, your true love on the other, and you got to choose between. Of course, with such a nonsensical question though, (and our teacher was one of those unfortunate souls that hadn't yet gotten the hang of explaining such irrationalities away)...it's hard to take seriously, so we crafted this 'Advanced Train Dilemma' t'outdo the original....

As for the lack of choices, I figured that the others, beyond say, suicide, would be a tad silly to list out, because they'd start to have less and less to do with the question, and not too much extraordinary shtoof is assumed in this one.
Well, that, and I enjoy reading people's responses. ^_^

[Mitera Nikkou]

What did I catch? Cooties? A hot potato? The mumps? What? :O

Personally, though, I don't think that a question with an answer can be classified as a nonsensical question, hypothetical or not. Even the original question (which you no doubt pumped up with steroids and LSD) gave you answers, as well as those not actually given as choices.

And now... POOF!

*Vanishes once more~*

[Haylie]

The way I see it is as a no-win situation. Which I'm sure was the idea.

I went with the middle choice because I'm gonna lose no matter what. Might as well lose with style while letting the good people live. There's not much I can do about the Uruk with just one bullet, but cancer should die and so should the driver.