Moral Dilemma in Time Travel Sketch

[Olas]

So I was watching some Whitest Kids You Know when I came across this old sketch, and it made me think a little bit.


To summarize: by altering time they manage to stop 9/11 from occurring, but in doing so accidentally end up erasing Sam's sister from existence.
So, under the assumption that doing so will bring his sister back, do you think it's morally justified for them to "save 9/11"? Or is Sam's sister an acceptable sacrifice for the greater good?
Or perhaps the more interesting question is, what would you do in Sam's situation?
It's a difficult question (especially if, like me, you actually have a sibling) but would you sacrifice a close family member to prevent the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil from having occurred?
Also, do you think the fact that 9/11 has already happened is relevant to this decision?

Just food for thought.

 

[Bluntman1138]

"Morally justifiable" is a subjective term. Some could say yes, The needs of the Many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. But has it EVER been moral to sacrifice someone, especially against that persons will? It all depends on the person that has to make that decsion.

It like asking the question "Would you go back in time and kill Hitler when he was little?" How much would REALLY be effected by that? More than people would care to actually think about.

Personally, i would not sacrifice someone i loved for anything. Even if it was their wish. Of course, there are very few people in this world i love.

As a side note that some could find offensive: What if the hyjackers were time travelers as well, and they brought the towers down to kill someone who was going to be the future Hitler?

 

[Heronblade]

If the choice was merely balancing the lives of those lost in the 9/11 attacks and the events that unfolded afterwards vs one person not being born, the logical and ethical thing to do is choose to prevent the attack.

However, as with many other scenarios involving time travel, those would be FAR from the only factors that must be considered.

At the absolute minimum, a careful comparison of the economic and social status of the two alternate worlds is in order, with particular attention to how the regions primarily affected by the related events (The US, EU and Middle East) are different.

Of course, that would not exactly make for entertaining media. Watching gung ho time travelers doing their thing with only a minor nod to the near guaranteed unintended consequences may not be realistic, but it certainly is more exciting than watching a group of sociologists pouring over reports.