Three Mental Puzllers: Question #3

This isn't meant to be a trick question. Given the following dilemma, please explain your choice of one of the two possible outcomes.

Scenario :

You are in a village in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. You and your entire village of 16 people are hiding in some brush. Heavily armed enemy forces are marching along a path that runs near enough to your location that they are able to hear any significant noises.

Question:

Knowing that the enemy will kill everyone in your village if you are discovered, and also knowing that one of the 16 villagers is your sick infant child who currently has a very bad cough, will you smother and kill your child in order to keep it quiet, thus saving the other 15 villagers, or will you do nothing, knowing that your child will make noise, causing all of the 16 villagers to be discovered and killed?

Bonus Question:

If the child was not yours, but rather the child of another villager, would it change your decision?

Too Good Not To Post

For those of you who don't know my brother (no, not that one... or that one...)

http://www.myspace.com/nvrgnadi

Here's a preview, Hawkeye style!

And Now For Something Completely Different

As a break from the recent seriousness of this blog, some random funny pics...

Three Mental Puzzlers: Question #2

This isn't meant to be a trick question. Given the following dilemma, please explain your choice of one of the two possible outcomes.

Scenario :

You are standing on a walking bridge over a single set of train tracks. Far to your right, on one end of the track, you see 15 people performing maintenance on it. Far to your left, on the other end of the track, you see a train rapidly approaching. Standing next to you on the bridge is a pedestrian. You are too far to visually or audibly notify any of the 15 individuals working on the track.

Question:

Knowing that the train will eventually hit and kill all of the 15 individuals on the track, do you push the pedestrian off of the bridge and onto the track, knowing that the train will hit and kill this person and stop prior to hitting the other 15 people, or do you allow the train to continue and kill all 15 laborers?