【英语时差8,16】处理道德难题
时间：2015-12-02 05:22:47
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（单词翻译）
In this Moment of Science Don and Yael discuss a conundrum1 that is interesting to ponder. D: Yael, suppose there's a trolley2 that's about to run over five people. Do you flip3 the switch that will steer4 the trolley onto a different track if that means only one person will die?
Y: I sure would.
D: Okay, now what if the only way you can save those five people is by pushing the stranger next to you into the trolley's path?
Y: Yuck, Don. That would be wrong.
D: You know, Yael, most people, when asked this question, answered the same way. And moral philosophers and psychologists have been trying to figure out why. After all, in both cases, one person dies to save five.
Y: I see your point.
D: Well, in one study, scientists discovered that these two
scenarios6 are processed by different parts of the brain.
Flipping7 a switch, because it's more
impersonal8,
activates9 the part of the brain associated with memory. But the more personal
scenario5 that requires
actively10 killing11 a person activates the part of the brain associated with emotions.
Y: So what does that mean?
D: Well, scientists speculate that a lot of our
gut12 reactions to moral
dilemmas13 may be
affected14 by our upbringing. After all, as children we internalize the emotional reactions of those around us and store them in emotional brain circuits. Then, later, when we encounter a moral problem, these automatic gut feelings guide our decision- making. Scientists hope that by figuring out how the brain behaves when people
wrestle15 with difficult issues, we'll be able to understand how people with different backgrounds reach different conclusions on when it's okay to take a life. And everyone knows we could use a little more understanding.
Y: We sure could!
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