Cognitive Scaffold

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MENTAL MODEL · M5309

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
CultureHigh supportEthics
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A perfect utopian city of Omelas, whose entire happiness depends on an innocent child being tortured in a basement. If the child is rescued, the city's happiness will vanish instantly. Do you choose to stay and enjoy, or leave?

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

The moral Achilles' heel of utilitarianism. It interrogates us: for the greatest happiness of the greatest number, can we sacrifice the basic rights of an innocent? In algorithmic recommendation (sacrificing a minority's attention for overall retention) or public policy, this is an inescapable specter.

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The conflict between utilitarianism's 'greatest happiness for the greatest number' and individual rights: the overall good may depend on harm to the innocent, forcing a moral reckoning.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ones_Who_Walk_Away_from_OmelasZH · Explicit
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