I mean, theres the question of what exactly renounce means. Cause like, its a no brainer to do so to save lives, but does it just mean declaring yourself as no longer following that philosophy, or actually believing internally in something different? The former is easy, the latter might not be possible to do on a whim even if you wanted to without something to convince you of something contradictory to your mind’s satisfaction

EDIT: oh I see, thats the lever in the top guys hand. I didnt recognize it with where it was positioned, and so somehow I thought that it was like an object on a string that was somehow supposed to make the guy represent ones philosophical views, like maybe something being waved to signal surrender to the driver or some symbolism about weights

[directs trolley towards me]

“I see this as an absolute win.”

Utilitarianism is mutually opposed to selfishness, so clearly they’re going to get thenself run over and keep their beliefs.

Bentham stated that Utilitarianism is to promote happiness and prevent harm for the affected individuals. Meaning not only yourself but also those 5.

HOWEVER: What if those five have to live in poverty as a result? What if they all signed up for this? What if only 4 signed up for this?

I’m a utilitarian but I’m also a solipsist, so saving myself is saving the most people.

How many utils does it cost to renounce?