No I never saw “the good place”.

But I’ve seen a dozen other things that touch this idea.

One I really like is “Utopia”. 2013. British. Good music.

I think that’s a different thing.

It’s insight like that. Thanks

Thanks man. You really got to the heart of it there

It’s the trolly problem. So yr spending 100 to save a million

That’s the same riddle. You get that, right?

And so we find ourselves without an easy answer. And so we are forced to inspect the riddle more closely. To uncover hidden assumptions and such. We might even do that in conversation, on a forum like lemmy.

It’s what we call an abstraction. This particular abstraction highlights a moral point.

Not bullshit. Useful and interesting.

Edit: Holy Shit!..

We’re like Hobbits. Very compatible with simple and to the point.

Brian Eno, Silver Morning

It’s the trolly problem. A classic.

Well yes, that’s my point. For the purposes of our game of riddle-solving the assumption is valid. But for the purposes of “reality” it isn’t.

So there’s something going on with perspective there.

Ok, why is the trolley problem bullshit? Seriously.

Yeah the logic is clear. But consider the lesson of War Games.

The riddle can also be a mindfucking trap. The first, implicit, assertion of these kinds of riddles is that you must solve the riddle because the riddle is important (because it accurately represents reality or something)

But that might not be so.

So if we’re gonna cut through the riddle then that might be our access point.

Your emotions are getting in the way of your thinking

Yeah I guess that’s the ultimate math of it. I’m new to chewing this riddle. I think the most popular answer is to shout that the riddle doesn’t exist. I’m still chewing on it.

Ok so replace the 5 guys on the track with 5 terminal cancer patients. Definitely makes it easier.

Makes what easier?

Ya it’s trolly problem. I just figured that out.

So now I’m reflecting on the trolly problem.

The military gets a lot of trolly problems.

Oh ya it was the trolly problem. King doesn’t like the trolly problem. So he declared the 5 people on the first track illusions born of hubris and narcissicism. Another best seller

Ya maybe. But it’s like he intentionally hacked off the obvious good ending in favor of a contrived bad one. So less can’t and more won’t.

So why would he choose that? I can only assume for money.

I was recently traumatized by an incident of gratuitous moral simplemindedness. Maybe you can gimme some complex fresh air. Or maybe you can’t

It was the ending of King’s"The Institute". He autocastarates bigtime. But I guess you gotta ask, who is he writing for?