Improbable and unrealistic scenarios are excellent tools to explore the odder aspects of our universe. Schrödinger’s cat being both alive and dead is a case in point. The trolley problem which had a massive resurgence in popularity and cultural awareness with the rise of autonomous cars is another.
The thing about these scenarios is that no one pretends that they are remotely realistic or proposes seriously a world in which they happen. Quantum physicists do not create experiments with cats, boxes and radioactive material in order to test them, and would be horrified if anyone suggested it. Similarly, traffic planners and ethicists don’t strap people to tracks and give some about-to-be-scarred-for-life experimental subject the task of picking between killing one or many people. They are simply useful thought experiments.
Enter the International Council on Clean…
Read the full article originally published at cleantechnica.com.