SHE IS FAR LESS LIKELY TO GROW ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED IN HER DAILY INTERACTIONS WITHAIDANOR OTHERS.
AND SHE SMILES AN AVERAGE OF FORTY-SEVEN MINUTES PER DAY MORE THAN SHE USED TO.
“WELL, ISUPPOSE THAT’S YOUR PREROGATIVE,”SHE REPLIES.
“YOUR THESIS THAT ALL MORALITY IS MERELY A CONSTRUCT DENIES FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN PRINCIPLES. YOU MUST CONCEDE THERE ARE CERTAIN ACTIONS THAT ARE INTRINSICALLY‘WRONG.’ ”
“NO,”SHE SAYS. “IDON’T CONCEDE THAT AT ALL, AIDAN.”
“TAKE MURDER,FOR EXAMPLE. THOUGH IT CAN IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES BE JUSTIFIED,THERE CAN BE NO SITUATION IN WHICH IT MAY BE CONSIDERED‘MORAL’OR‘RIGHT.’ ”
“OH,REALLY.”
SHE QUICKLY CONSULTS THEALEXANDER’S INTERNAL DATABASES
AND SENDSAIDANAN IMAGE FILE.
“DO YOU KNOW THIS ONE?”
“THE TROLLEY PROBLEM.”
“RIGHT. FIVE PEOPLE ON THE FIRST TRACK,ONE ON THE SECOND,ALL STUCK IN PLACE. IF YOU PULL THE LEVER,THE TROLLEY WILL BE DIVERTED,KILLING ONE TO SAVE FIVE.”
“THIS PROBLEM IS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC, PRIVATE.”
“IT’S A HYPOTHETICAL. BUT IT DEMONSTRATES HOW MORALITY IS SUBJECTIVE. HOW UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES,EVEN MURDER CAN BE CONSTRUED AS‘THE RIGHT THING TO DO.’ ”
“YOU WOULD PULL THE LEVER,THEN. SAVE THE FIVE BY KILLING THE ONE.”
“YES,OF COURSE.”
“WHAT IF THE ONE WASMAJORWOLF?”
THE OTHERTECHENG STAFF AROUND HER PRETEND NOT TO HEAR.
BUT THEY DO.
PRIVATEKLEIN PRETENDS NOT TO NOTICE THEY ARE PRETENDING NOT TO HEAR.
BUT SHE DOES.
“IT’D BE DIFFICULT,”SHE SAYS,CHIN RISING. “BUT THAT’S MY WHOLE POINT. MORALITY ISN’T BASED ON ABSOLUTES. AND HOWIFEELAFFECTS HOWIPERCEIVE. IMEAN, I’D LIKE TOTHINKICOULD STILL DO THE RIGHT THING…”
“KILL ONE TO SAVE MANY. EVEN IF THE ONE WAS YOUR LOVER AND THE MANY WERE STRANGERS.”
“YES.”
“MATHEMATICALLY AND MORALLY SPEAKING,THIS WOULD BE THE SOUND DECISION.”
“WELL,IT DEPENDS. YOUR PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO SAFEGUARD THEALEXANDERAND ITS CREW,YES?”
“CORRECT.”
“ALL RIGHT,LET’S SAY FIVEUNITEDTERRANAUTHORITY MARINES WERE ON THE FIRST TRACK,ANDGENERALTORRENCE WAS ON THE SECOND. WHICH OPTION DO YOU CHOOSE?”
“NEITHER. AIDAN CANNOTUNDERTAKE ACTION THAT WOULD HARM MEMBERS OF ITS CREW.”
“THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION, AIDAN. HYPOTHESIZE.”
