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Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
I do this at work and with friends quite a lot, and I always find it interesting - like the one where I asked if you think you could eat another person if they were already dead and you were starving (for reference I said "Nomnomnomnomnom").

Now I know some people don't like these types of questions, as they say who knows how you will react, its silly! To that I say - well don't post! xD

For those who do, this is just an interesting discussion and also shows how people think, get to know each other a bit more etc. Mainly it is a bit of fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously (though I do carry a bottle of Worcester Sauce for emergency situations, in case I need to marinade someone's leg or something xd)

So, here's our first situation, straight out of a game I recently played. I am not going to say the game, as I don't want to spoil it for those who have not played it.

[mod]If you have played the game, don't spoil it for others!![/mod]

The human race is slowly dying, it is going to go extinct from a killer infection. Your loved one (child, partner, parent, whoever you love the dearest) has the cure in their body (some ultra rare immunity).

However to get the cure results in their death....dun dun dah!! :slapface:

You have two choices:

1 - Sacrifice the loved one, knowing that the cure will most likely save the human race (note I say most likely, nothing is certain).

2 - Screw the human race. You both go and live somewhere where no body knows either of you, and you expect to have a happy normal life (well as normal as you can in the situation). You could both live years, you could die next week, just like normal life.

What would you do (or think you would do for those who want to be pedantic xd)
 

Duke Danse Macabre

The Duke
True Blood
Sep 16, 2010
3,696
Sunderland, United Kingdom
I always love these games.

Mmmm, I do have a irrational hatred of the world at large and most people.
Afterall a stranger is just an enemy you haven't made yet. ;)

In this situation I would have multiple answers.
If by my choice we would go live happily elsewhere, if the world is going to burn we will sit and roast marshmallows.

If They try and take her by force I will take as many of them as I can with me.

If She decides to do it under her own power because she wants to help I would then die with her, I'm a very one love one life kind of person. :rolleyes:

But all that said my default is number one, screw them all. xD
 

Bullhax

Vampire Count
True Blood
Sep 12, 2011
1,052
Duke Danse Macabre said:
I always love these games.

Mmmm, I do have a irrational hatred of the world at large and most people.
Afterall a stranger is just an enemy you haven't made yet. ;)

In this situation I would have multiple answers.
If by my choice we would go live happily elsewhere, if the world is going to burn we will sit and roast marshmallows.

If They try and take her by force I will take as many of them as I can with me.

If She decides to do it under her own power because she wants to help I would then die with her, I'm a very one love one life kind of person. :rolleyes:

But all that said my default is number one, screw them all. xD

Hehe I feel the same, forcing someone to die to save others is ethically just as wrong. That being said if said person willingly would give his/her life up for the greater good, I wouldn't go against that wish either..

On a more practical level saving the world by only giving up one life might be the right thing to do, but to me it solely depends on how many you would save and what chances there would be of distributing the cure.. I believe that the more people saved and how great the chance of the survival of the race as a whole, the harder it will be to choose number two.

On the same note ones chances of actually surviving without giving up the cure also factors in, the better the chances of survival (for the two of you and the world as a whole) without sacrificing your loved one the less prone you would be to actually give up said loved one.
 
Feb 1, 2013
139
Wisconsin
I majored in Ethics in college, so I'm quite used to such hypotheticals. Ethically, it's almost certainly correct to sacrifice one person in order to save billions of lives. There are a few systems out there that would forbid it, but they tend to be kinda crazypants anyway. However, from a personal perspective, I think I'm with DDM: screw people. Humanity is a rather wretched thing as a whole, and if it dies out, well good riddance :thumbsup:
 

Sweeney Todd

Master Vampire
True Blood
Mar 9, 2008
4,034
Singapore
My choice is definitely #2. Perhaps you could say that empathy is not my strong suit.

PS: Silly me, got the two choices mixed up.
 

Bullhax

Vampire Count
True Blood
Sep 12, 2011
1,052
NoisyAssassin said:
I majored in Ethics in college, so I'm quite used to such hypotheticals. Ethically, it's almost certainly correct to sacrifice one person in order to save billions of lives. There are a few systems out there that would forbid it, but they tend to be kinda crazypants anyway. However, from a personal perspective, I think I'm with DDM: screw people. Humanity is a rather wretched thing as a whole, and if it dies out, well good riddance :thumbsup:

This is quite interesting, I was of the persuation you were not allowed to kill someone for the greater good, ethically speaking that is.
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Well #1, after-all what if I got sick, I need me some cures.

But seriously I think #1 is the logical choice and I'd likely go for even if it killed me to do so, rather selfish otherwise.
 

Count Darvaleth

I <3 marmite
True Blood
Apr 26, 2010
3,407
Hmm. From the non-pressured standpoint of it being a hypothetical, I would still say number 2. I know I would be unable to kill a loved one, no matter the cost. If the loved one wanted to die, I wouldn't help, but I wouldn't hinder either.

I would much rather have the cure myself, and sacrifice myself so that the loved one (and humanity) could live. This would be the best situation, to be honest. I feel uncomfortable even thinking about killing a loved one in this hypothetical, so I'd never be able to do it for real.
 

Shareya

Vampire Count
True Blood
Dec 16, 2012
1,379
2.

I am sorry but thousands of people are being raped and killed each and every day. Such terrible horrors are being inflicted all around the world and I just...don't care.
Sure it would be nice if the world was a better place and I do my best not to add to the suffering and yada yada but I will deffo save someone I care about over faceless masses.
 

Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
Some interesting replies, great to see so many having a good think :thumbsup: Don't worry, sometimes the questions will be more fun, sometimes like this they should hopefully make you have a good long think.

So this one was in a way difficult for me. I have a tendency to want to do the "right" thing, even if it is something I don't like / have a fear of etc. It's just something that is ingrained in me - though what I consider "right" would be debatable by some xd

However this one really turned on its head for me. I got involved in the game, and when it came to the decision, all I could think about was it being my daughter. I sat and thought about, tried to qualify and my head knew the right decision, the logical decision.

But that said I know there is no way in hell I would give her up, even if she wanted to. I would do anything, even if it was to keep her alive for one more day. If it came to it, I would damn the human race to extinction for her........even though my mind knows that millions of other children would die.
 

Sanai

Stylish Deviant
True Blood
Oct 30, 2009
5,193
Behind Darvy
I would sacrifice her. The scenario does not appear to say that I myself am immune so I need access to that cure. She isn't going to stick around anyway- you cannot rely on something as fickle as a human being.
 

Lynks

Lord of RAW
True Blood
Dec 29, 2010
2,215
Sydney
The economist in me says sacrifice the loved one for far far greater potential gains.

The me within me, well who knows what i'd pick, but it'd probably be the second option.
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Sanai said:
I would sacrifice her. The scenario does not appear to say that I myself am immune so I need access to that cure. She isn't going to stick around anyway- you cannot rely on something as fickle as a human being.

Exactly.
 

Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
Some excellent points being raised, and very true. Yes nothing says you are immune, and yes the loved one could run away etc. That's what makes it an interesting problem, I am not offering your certainties, just like the person could die and it is possible their immunity might not be able to be duplicated - making their death pointless.

The decision you have at the time is purely based on possibilities, not certainties.

Which makes me wonder, if I did change the variables to:

- If they die, cure is certain
- If they live, your immunity and happiness together is certain

Would any of you change your mind? Happiness for you, or happiness for others?
 

Duke Danse Macabre

The Duke
True Blood
Sep 16, 2010
3,696
Sunderland, United Kingdom
I had assumed that if you both lived you would share some sort of immunity elsewise i would like to live thank you very much but I would still choose the same option, everyone else can go burn, more free stuff for us. :thumbsup:
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Disciple of Nagash said:
Some excellent points being raised, and very true. Yes nothing says you are immune, and yes the loved one could run away etc. That's what makes it an interesting problem, I am not offering your certainties, just like the person could die and it is possible their immunity might not be able to be duplicated - making their death pointless.

The decision you have at the time is purely based on possibilities, not certainties.

Which makes me wonder, if I did change the variables to:

- If they die, cure is certain
- If they live, your immunity and happiness together is certain

Would any of you change your mind? Happiness for you, or happiness for others?

Oh yeah happiness for us both...unless I can be in charge of the production and selling of the cure I get from sacraficing her, in which case happiness for just me.
 
Feb 1, 2013
139
Wisconsin
Bullhax said:
NoisyAssassin said:
I majored in Ethics in college, so I'm quite used to such hypotheticals. Ethically, it's almost certainly correct to sacrifice one person in order to save billions of lives. There are a few systems out there that would forbid it, but they tend to be kinda crazypants anyway. However, from a personal perspective, I think I'm with DDM: screw people. Humanity is a rather wretched thing as a whole, and if it dies out, well good riddance :thumbsup:

This is quite interesting, I was of the persuation you were not allowed to kill someone for the greater good, ethically speaking that is.

The interesting thing is that there is no one unified "ethics". Instead there are a large number of theories as to what makes an action ethical/unethical. For example, the United States is heavily influenced by the ideas of Kant, who holds personal autonomy to be super important. Under his system of ethics, sacrificing another person for the greater good is 100% unacceptable, because it violates their autonomy. On the other end of the spectrum, a more Utilitarian moral code would call for you to sacrifice any number of people for the good of the rest of the human race. And of course there are many systems in between that give varying answers.
 

Corien Sumatris

Vampire Count
True Blood
Jul 3, 2013
1,535
Rockford Il
Now, This is tough for me. Because I currently have no children so in my mind the one in question is my wife. Now, she is able to make her own decisions and if she doesn't want to sacrifice herself then I sure won't make her. Now lets say that somehow I am immune as long as I am with her. We all say screw humanity, because yes there is a huge portion that is terrible. But what of the doctors? what of the teachers, and scientists, and engineers? What of the people making the plumbing and electricity work? We may say that we are not willing to sacrifice our loved ones, and I must say that it is an impossible decision, but what would life be afterwards? There will be no electricity, Fire = Heat and that's it, no PC, no PS3, no Xbox, and no one other than your 1 loved one to hang out with. Would you sacrifice 1 of your children to save the other + your wife + all of your other loved ones? Would you let your best friends, Parents, Siblings, In-Laws, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews die because you're not willing to sacrifice 1? I have no clue what I would pick. I love my wife more than anything in this world, but to lose everything but her is a completely foriegn thought.
 

Count Darvaleth

I <3 marmite
True Blood
Apr 26, 2010
3,407
The change doesn't change anything (herp) for me. My difficulty was with killing a loved one, and that doesn't change here.
 

Corien Sumatris

Vampire Count
True Blood
Jul 3, 2013
1,535
Rockford Il
Oh yeah! Killing a loved one would be darn near impossible for sure! But are you willing to lose all of your other loved ones to save one? And that's where I just don't know. I mean I'm not saying that I would hand my wife over on a silver platter but it would deffinetly be a tough call. That and would she even want to live after seeing everyone (except for me) die when she knows that she could have saved them. I mean that right there is a mental twist. I mean, you're caught between a rock and a hard place hear. Do you give up the one you love the most or do you sit back and watch everyone you have ever cared about disappear?
 

Lynks

Lord of RAW
True Blood
Dec 29, 2010
2,215
Sydney
It doesn't change my decision, but the change in parameters does dramatically increase the internal conflict between the economist me and the me me :tongue:
 

Disciple of Nagash

Oldblood
Staff member
Feb 12, 2008
27,732
Corien - yep that's the conundrum, a difficult one.

I think in some ways as well it would depend on your personal circumstances. If you have a big extended family it suddenly becomes a lot harder.

Is the person being sacrificed your only thing in the world - well then I think many will sway towards telling everyone else to sod off.

A very interesting look at human nature eh?
 

Corien Sumatris

Vampire Count
True Blood
Jul 3, 2013
1,535
Rockford Il
It is indeed. I mean again, I don't have children. I want children someday soon, but they haven't come yet. I won't even pretend to act like I understand that bond, because I know I don't. That being said, I think that if I know for a fact that sacrificing my wife would save the entire human race, I would probably give them up. I can't stand seeing her upset, let alone if she were to just be gone? I don't know if I would be able to live with myself knowing that all of the trash in the world, Rapists, Murderers, Pedophiles, Theifs, Crack Heads, are all still alive and I am forced to live without my wife. I mean there are good people in this world, but there are a lot of bad people in this world that my wifes life would be given up for too.

So yeah, Screw ya'll I'm keepin my wife.
 

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