# The magical killing box **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885 "2011-11-04T19:04:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/81 "2011-11-08T18:11:58Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > A wizard appears and offers you the box (and let’s say you have reason to believe him). If you press the button. The serial killer will die, halting his presumed future murders. What do you do? Is your decision in any way based upon the difficulties of knowing someone else’s moral framework? In that very likely circumstance, I’d ask the wizard why he didn’t just go to the police and tell them where to find the guy. Or is this wizard just being a dick? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/82 "2011-11-08T18:59:50Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Does the box only work on people, or could I finally make my dream of finishing off the pandas once and for all come true ? Why you gotta hate? ☹ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/83 "2011-11-08T21:02:36Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > In that very likely circumstance, I’d ask the wizard why he didn’t just go to the police and tell them where to find the guy. Or is this wizard just being a dick? Don’t fight the hypothetical. That’s not the purpose. Otherwise, why not just point out that there is not and cannot be any such thing as this magical killing box? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/84 "2011-11-08T21:05:06Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Don’t fight the hypothetical. That’s not the purpose. Otherwise, why not just point out that there is not and cannot be any such thing as this magical killing box? In that case I’d tell the wizard to press the button himself. If that’s still fighting the hypothetical, then I’d still throw the box into the sea. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/85 "2011-11-08T21:16:49Z")
You know thoughts pop unbidden into your head when you least expect it? Like when you’re having sex, and suddenly out of the blue you’re thinking about doing it with your ugly Aunt Lulu? Yeah, too risky to use a box like that. What if I killed someone that I didn’t mean to kill? Destroy it, sez I. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/86 "2011-11-08T21:23:02Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > You know thoughts pop unbidden into your head when you least expect it? Like when you’re having sex, and suddenly out of the blue you’re thinking about doing it with your ugly Aunt Lulu? I must say that no, that has never happened to me. Her name isn’t even Lulu! ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885/87 "2011-11-08T23:55:28Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Upon further thought, I’d be tempted to try tapping the button very, very lightly and see if it can be used to kill only part of a person. Such as “kill Bob’s cancer”. You know these magic thingies never work that way. You’d kill Bob, and then facepalm when you realize that his cancer is now dead as well. Killing Bob was the way it killed the cancer. Cue _Twilight Zone_ music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magical-killing-box/601885.md?page=4)