Yeah...because that number of one billion is just too staggeringly horrific not to.
If I let those one billion die, I'd easily be worse than any mass murderer or dictator you can think of: Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Genghis Khan...add up ALL the people they've killed and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket compared to the number of deaths I'd be responsible for.
I would not be able to live with the knowledge that I'd allowed such a thing to come to pass.
Isn't there a difference between actively killing someone and passively letting someone die?
ok
Yeah but in law, there is a difference between attempted murder and actual murder, first degree murder and second degree murder, etc. etc. If you watch someone kill your enemy and you just laugh without calling 911, you may have legal responsibiltiies, but certainly not as much as if you went and stabbed them with a knife.
ok
Still wouldn't be something to want to live with, though. "Comparatively less morally reprehensible" is by no means "not at all morally reprehensible."
And given the sheer numbers, I doubt the one who passively allowed a billion to die would be judged more kindly than those who actively murdered millions.
This is one of those dilemmas I hope I will never have to face...;-)
I'm a fairly selfish being, so I guess I'd choose my loved one - but I'm not sure I'd be able to live with myself after that...
I'm one of those who *do* like GJ better, y'know...
别想把黑暗放在我的面前
太阳已经生长在我心底
不再有封闭的畏惧
奔腾的灵魂飞上天际
太阳 我在这里
The thing is:
It's not against the law if you choose to save your loved ones over a billion strangers. The law can't do anything about it. On the other hand, if you murder millions, you would be the most wanted criminal.
If I were in that situation, I would save my loved ones first then try my best to save others. If it was unable to save that 1 billion people, then all I can say is "sorry", but I can live with my decision without regret.
You sort of missed his point, but whatever.
What's legal doesn't always mean justice or even what's right. There are a ton of weird laws even in Canada, and not all of them make sense. So just because it's law doesn't mean you need to rigidly follow it and never question it.
Because I'm somewhere in between,
My love and my agony.
What can I say? I'm still standing! No weapon against me shall prosper! I am more than a conqueror!!!
I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?
Well, I didn't intend to include "great" when talking with you since you're way far from it, but I thought basic was quite enough. I have no idea where you get that "statistics" of, uh, you and your likes get less speeding tickets in compare but people who only think within the triangle can have the worries of driving too fast then only to find themselves flying off some cliff (just like a simple backpack trip could end yourself in hell). how do you relate with religion and moral values on that one, *shrugs* and I don't wanna know. I rest my case.
Last edited by remember_Cedric; 02-21-09 at 03:10 AM.
What can I say? I'm still standing! No weapon against me shall prosper! I am more than a conqueror!!!
I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?
I would probably choose the lives of a billion people over my loved one. Life is never just about me. I don't want to do something that will only make me happy as opposed to all the family/friends/lovers of those billion people.
You guys got this all wrong.
The REAL question is whether the X people know that you did the deed (saved their collective behinds).
If the X have no clue that you are responsible for their next breath, then clearly, their ignorance condemns them to Tartarus for all eternity.
However, if the X know that you are their lord and savior, you can easily turn the situation to your advantage. Clearly, there exists some X where the marginal benefit from X people is greater than the singular benefit from your loved one. Harem, anyone?
hey you can't do that, that's cheating! lol.
we're assuming you aren't thinking about the personal benefits you'll possibly gain.