Everything is dark and quiet like I've been swallowed by a void. But then a light came on and I'm sitting in a chair with a singular light bulb above my head. In front of me is a camera pointing at me.
"Please state your name, date of birth, and identification number." A female voice came out of nowhere.
"Adrian Bordeleau. April 16th, 2257. Number 437156." I said into the camera, it remained silent.
"Welcome to the test, Adrian." And then everything was cut to black.
"Since this is your first time doing this test," —the woman spoke— "I will walk you through the basics of what you need to know. You will go through three scenarios. Each scenario is generated using your brain waves and sometimes, your memories. For each scenario, follow the plot given to you. Once the scenario is finished, it should cut to black to signal you're moving to the next scenario. This is a reminder that nothing in this simulator is real but it will just feel real. Any pain and injuries you'll experience will only feel real. Response to the scenarios realistically using your logic. You wouldn't charge towards a Lion that is chasing you now would you? The test will now begin." Then it was silent.
—
When the light came back, it made a loud noise. I'm staring at a large projector screen like those in my classrooms. In fact, I am in my classroom. On the screen, four figures of a human body appeared.
"Imagine a doctor has four patients. All in need of different organ transplants but no compatible organs are available. One day, a fifth patient enters the hospital with a life threatening condition. The new patient is curable but is also an organ match for the four other patients. If the doctor delays treatment, the new patient will die but their organs could be used to save the other four patients. If the doctor treats the new patient, one life will be saved but the other four will be lost. What is the doctor's best course of action?" A female voice spoke.
"What does that mean?" I wondered.
"Should the doctor save one life but kill four other lives or should he kill one life but save four lives?" The voice elaborated.
"This is so cool." I thought. Let's see, it's better to sacrifice one person to save four people rather than sacrificing four people for one, right? But the new patient is curable. How would the patient feel when they find out that their doctor chose not to save them? Did the patient agree to give up their organs?
"Does the new patient have the option to choose?" I asked the voice.
"The patient has given their consent to let the doctor choose." She simply replied.
"What about their family? Do they have a say in this?"
"Can you explain why you're asking questions about the patient's personal life?"
"I guess I just don't want the curable patient to be sad when their doctor tells them he isn't going to save them. Especially if the doctor lied to them that they aren't curable and giving up their organs is the best thing to do." I wonder where I'm getting this idea from.
The voice paused, "You have to choose. Save one person but end four others' or end one person but save four others'?"
"If the new patient agrees to it, I would end the person's life to save the other four." I answered. It felt so sad to say that I want to end anyone's life.
"Explain your reasoning."
"Four lives is bigger than one, right?" I answered. Satisfied, everything was cut to black. Guess this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
YOU ARE READING
My Deceiving Eyes
ActionIn 2239, added as an ingredient for rat poison, a disease began to spread rapidly through the air. Decaying the bones it attaches to, inflicting paralysis and organ failure while its victims remain conscious enough to feel the pain that follow. Two...
