Note these questions are derived from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, PH.D (New York: Workman), 1988. My answers are in bold
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If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in one percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public? Yes I would since for 99% of the populace it would make their lives easier and better.
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You discover your wonderful one-year old child is, because of a mixup at the hospital, not yours. Would you want to exchange the child to try to correct the mistake? Yes.
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You are given the power to kill people simply by thinking of their deaths and twice repeating the word “good-bye.” People would die a natural death and no one would suspect you. Are there any situations in which you would use this power? For criminals and dictators yes. For instance I could end the War on Terrorism by simultenously killing all the members of Al-Qaeda.
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Would you rather be extremely successful professionally and have a tolerable yet unexciting private life, or have an extremely happy private life and only a tolerable and uninspiring professional life. I’d prefer a good professional life.
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If you knew of a way to use your estate following your death, to greatly benefit humanity, would you do it and leave only a minimal amount to your family? Yes but depending on my family’s financial situation at the time.
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If you could use a voodoo doll to hurt anyone you chose, would you? Yes on evil people.
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While on a trip to another city, your spouse (or lover) meets and spends a night with an exciting stranger. Given that they will never meet again, and that you will not otherwise learn of the incident, would you want your partner to tell you about it? If roles were reversed, would you reveal what you done? Yes and yes.
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For an all-expense-paid, one-week vacation anywhere in the world, would you be willing to kill a beautiful butterfly by pulling off its wings? What about stepping on a cockroach? Yes.
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Would you be willing to murder an innocent person if it would end hunger in the world? Yes because one person would die and end up saving millions.
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Would you rather be given $10,000 for your own use or $100,000 to give anonymously to strangers? What if you could keep $1,000,000 or give away $20,000,000. Since I’m not in the best of financial conditions right now I’d prefer the money for myself and if I make more money by investing it then I can help even more people.
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If you knew there would be a nuclear war in one week, what would you do? Go to a very remote part of the US and organize civil defense groups.
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Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and will die within a month. He begs you to give him poison so that he can die. Would you? What if it were your father? No and no.
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While parking late at night, you slightly scrape the side of a Porsche. You are certain no one else is aware of what happened. The damage is minor and would not be covered by insurance. Would you leave a note? Not now as I don’t have enough money but I would memorize the license plate number and repay him when I have enough money.
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Would you add one year to your life if it meant taking one year from the life of someone in the world selected at random? Would it matter if you were told whose life you had shortened? Yes as it’s shortening life not killing someone and possibly.
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Assume there were a technological breakthrough that would allow people to travel as easily and cheaply between continents as between nearby cities. Unfortunately, there would also be 100,000 deaths a year from the device. Would you try to prevent it’s use? No, as such inventions as the automobile or the airplane cause a lot of deaths from accidents. I’d try to regulate it but not stop it.
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You and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that you will both be killed unless one of you presses the button before sixty minutes pass; furthermore, the first to press the button will save the other person, but will immediately be killed. What do you do? Wait for the other person to push the button.
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If you were to discover that your closest friend was a heroin dealer, what would you do? Call the police, the USA is a nation of laws.
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Which of the following restrictions could you best tolerate: leaving the country permanently or never leaving the state in which you now live? I love the USA and my home state of California so the latter.
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Where would you choose to be if you could place yourself anywhere on a scale from one to ten, where one is hardship, struggle, and extraordinary accomplishment and ten is comfort, peace of mind, and no accomplishment. Why? Where are you now? Six as it gives the best of both and right now nine.
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While in the government, you discover the President is commiting extortion and other serious crimes. By exposing the situation you might bring about the President’s downfall, but you career would be destroyed because you would be framed, fried, and publicly humiliated on other matters. Knowing you would vindicated five years later, would you blow the whistle? What if you knew you would never be vindicated. Yes and yes.
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If this country were to suffer an unprovoked nuclear attack and would be totally obiterated in a matter of minutes, would you favour unleashing the U.S. nuclear arsenal upon the attackers? Yes.
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If you were happily married, and then met someone you felt was certain to always bring you deeply passionate, intoxicating love, would you leave your spouse? What if you had kids? Provided I’m still fond of my spouse I’d stay with her. Good, steady love is enough for me and I prefer to keep my marital fidelity.
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Assuming that complete recovery were instantaneous, would you be willing to accept a year of complete paralysis below the neck to prevent the otherwise certain extinction of the blue whale? No.
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Do you believe in capital punishment? Would you be willing to execute a man sentenced to death by the courts if you were selected by lot to do so and he would go free if you refused? Assuming you know no details of the case. Yes and yes.
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While out one day, you are surprised to see your mother holding hands with someone who is clearly her lover. She notices you, runs over, and begs you not to say anything to your father. How would you respond? What would you do if your father later told you that he was going crazy because he kept thinking your mother was having an affair yet knew it was just his imagination? I would tell my father the truth and have a detective film the evidence to help him in his divorce trial.
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Which would you prefer: a wild, turbulent life filled with joy, sorrow, passion, and adventure-intoxicating successes and stunning setbacks; or a happy, secure, predictable life surrounded by friends and family without such wide swings of fortune and mood? The latter.
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If you knew your child would be severely retarded and would die by the age of five, would you decide to have an abortion. NO and I would prevent my wife from having one by any means other then killing her.
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Someone you love deeply is brutally murdered and you know the identity of the murderer, who unfortunately is acquitted of the crime. Would you seek revenge? Yes because I believe justice must be done even if the courts fail to do so.
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If you had to spend the next two years inside a small but fully provisioned Antarctic shelter with one other person, whom would like to have with you? Probably one of my parents or a best friend.
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If you had the choice of one intimate soulmate and no other close friends, or of no such soulmate and many friends and acquaintances, which would you choose? The latter.
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Would you be willing to do something very unsatisfying (for example, clean toilets) for five years if you were certain that the experience would afterwards bring you a deep sense of personal fulfillment for the rest of your life? No.
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Would you be content with a marriage of the highest quality in all respects but one-it completely lacked sex? Yes, I wouldn’t mind a platonic marriage.
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You are leading a hundred people whose lives are in danger and you must choose between two courses of action. One would save only 90 people; the other would have a fifty percent chance of saving everyone but were it to fail everyone would die. Which would you choose? The former.
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If you could prevent either an earthquake in Peru that would kill 40,000 people, a crash at your local airport that would kill two hundred people, or an automobile accident that would kill an acquaintance of yours, which would you choose? The one that would save the most amount of lives by far.