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Phalanges

Madness. Especially when you consider that most medical courses require a chemistry A Level for the relatively basic biochemistry you learn.

Indeed. Some kind of malevolent spectre must have taken over the minds of the admissions office staff.

But it does mean that you can do biochem and subsequently medicine without chem.

Reply 81

Chimpyang

RE UCL night life - pretty good, fairly ready-made (there are a few favourite places most people go) and options to go do whatever else you like. Unions other than Huntley are a bit meh though.

Reply 82

carcinoma

Phalanges

I would question just how conscious a decision it is. By remaining indecisive you remain inactive, which results in a definite set of events taking place.

It's not as if you can claim ignorance that your indecisiveness would result in an event, so at some level you not only acknowledge that your indecisiveness is in itself a decision, but you choose it. So in theory I would say that being indecisive over any decision long enough for it to play out is an active decision.

Precisely.

In the Train scenario.

The runaway train

A runaway train is approaching points on the railway line. If the points are not switched then the train will kill five people who are strapped to the line. If the points are switched the train will go along a different line and kill just one (different) person. There is no way of stopping the train; but you can switch the points so that one person, rather than five people, dies.

Should you switch the points?

Doing nothing condemns 5 to death, where as acting condemns 1 to death.

Reply 83

carcinoma

RollerBall

I think I'd be inclined to agree, tbh. Especially with the do nothing is basically the same as disagreeing with a lot of the ethical questions you're asked about it.

I wouldn't want to try this out in an interview though, they could still end up turning around and being like yeah... But if you were forced to pick, what would you pick? Then you'd be a bit SOL if you hadn't thought about it. That, or you'd get bonus points for originality.

Thats basically what the PMS interview was ethics in your face.

"What would you do...." "How would you feel.........."

Reply 84

carcinoma

crazylemon

Doing nothing is a legitimate choice though.
By switching the points you are actively killing someone. By doing nothing you are letting nature/fate take its course

Is there really much difference between an active choice and an inactive choice?

The cases of Smith and Jones

Smith sneaks into the bathroom of his 6-year-old cousin and drowns him, arranging things so that it will look like an accident. The reason Smith does this is that the death of his cousin will result in his coming into a large inheritance.

Jones stands to gain a similar large inheritance from the death of his 6-year-old cousin. Like Smith, Jones sneaks into the bathroom with the intention of drowning his cousin. The cousin, however, accidentally slips and knocks his head and drowns in the bath. Jones could easily have saved his cousin, but far from trying to save him, he stands ready to push the child’s head back under. However, this does not prove necessary.

Is there a moral difference between Smith’s and Jones’s behaviour?

P.S - Doesn't allowing nature/fate take its course go in the face of medicine at all levels. I think we should just quit while were ahead lol.
Has the honeymoon period faded yet?

Reply 85

carcinoma

crazylemon

At all levels? Even withdrawal of treatment? :wink:

I will stop now, avoiding working :p:

Has the honeymoon period faded, and are you on your way to becoming a cynical medical student?

crazylemon

Yes, in the eyes of the law 1 is murder the other is not murder.

As for not wrt law it depends on the situation. In the train scenario there is no intent for me to kill 5 people I just through inaction allow them to die, I did not will their deaths. I cannot see how this is any different to not giving all excess funds to charity to prevent the death of 1000s in other countries, proximity is not an issue. In the second scenario there is an intent to kill and so this differs.

If you actually had to choose, I would kill the one person to save 5. and gladly be taken to jail for murder.

crazylemon

At all levels? Even withdrawal of treatment? :wink:

I will stop now, avoiding working :p:

The treatment would have never been implemented in the first place, so there would be nothing to withdraw. :p:

Oh ****, we spammed this thread up again, feck! I guess we may have to delete them soon, to spare hygeia

Reply 86

Narik

This might seem a silly question but I'm doing 5ASs this year and 1 A2. If I get an A/A* in that A2, do I have to do 3 A2 subjects next year. Could I just do two, even though I get 3A2s overall or would universities mind? I really can't be asked doing extra work I don't need to next year. :smile:

Thanks

Reply 87

Sakujo

Narik

Thanks

Indians

I guess it would be okay, AFAIK unis only care if you take A2s over three years.

Reply 88

Narik

Sakujo

Indians

I guess it would be okay, AFAIK unis only care if you take A2s over three years.

and what did that have to do with anything? :colonhash:

Reply 89

carcinoma

Narik

Thanks

As long as you get 3 A2s in two years of study, they will have no issue about it.

Reply 90

carcinoma

Narik

and what did that have to do with anything? :colonhash:

Family pressure.

Reply 91

Sakujo

Narik

and what did that have to do with anything? :colonhash:

Relax, you're just living up to the asian stereotype that's all. :dontknow:

Reply 92

John Locke

some universities will want 3 A2s in one sitting (im fairly sure at least oxford does)

Reply 93

Narik

Sakujo

Relax, you're just living up to the asian stereotype that's all. :dontknow:

I hate you guys on the med forum. STOP STEREOTYPING! :mfing:

Reply 94

Narik

vas876

Family pressure.

And you know its "family pressure" because... :facepalm:

Reply 95

Narik

John Locke

some universities will want 3 A2s in one sitting (im fairly sure at least oxford does)

crap

Reply 96

John Locke

Narik

crap

why? if you can do 5 AS and 1 A2 simultaneously, then 3A2s is still going to be quite a significantly decreased workload. check with the places that you want to apply to though, some will let you do 3 over the two years (look at the offers pages for those who completed maths a year early for example).

if you're thinking 'tab then it's likely they would want >2 A2s in one sesh.

Reply 97

Narik

John Locke

why?

I agree it's a decreased workload but I'm a lazy **** and want the easy way out next year. :sigh:

Thanks for the input though - I'll contact a couple of unis i'm thinking about and see what they have to say about it. :smile:

Reply 98

John Locke

Narik

I agree it's a decreased workload but I'm a lazy **** and want the easy way out next year. :sigh:

Thanks for the input though - I'll contact a couple of unis i'm thinking about and see what they have to say about it. :smile:

realised that A levels are an epic waste of effort then? :p:

. yeah seems a sound plan. you could always not 'cash-in' your maths A2 at the end of the year and leave it as pending on ucas. that way you could get away with doing 2 A2s next year quite easily, the only place that would realise that is if you applied to the 'tab because of their saq.