• stupidcasey@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    I pull the lever, if the cart goes over the real numbers it will instantly kill an infinite amount of people and continue killing an infinite amount of people for every moment for the rest of existence.

    If I pull the lever a finite amount of people will die instantly and slowly over time tending twords infinity but due to the linear nature of movement it would never actually reach Infinity even if there are an infinite number of people tied to the track a finite amount is all that could ever die.

      • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        I mean, in that case it’s not really a matter of the trolley killing them, per se. The number will tend towards infinity, until it suddenly spikes to real infinity as people starve.

      • stupidcasey@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        Probably better than an infinite number of people waiting an infinite amount of time for there impending doom and then also an infinite number of people starving to death.

        you have to remember ℵ^0 in this case is included in ℵ^1 or at least the numerical value is, which is the only information given.

        I guess technically you could value one human soul above the other and technically this is philosophy? So I guess technically you should? but anyway everything that happens on ℵ^0 will also happen on ℵ^1 except more will always happen on ℵ^1 than ℵ^0 so whether there is unintended consequences or not doesn’t really matter. it’s always safer to pick the countable infinities.

        Unless there is something innately good about physically having more people exist no matter there condition. but you would have to ask a philosopher about that one, I’m paid to pull lever’s not philosophize.