Who would you save: A beloved pet or a complete stranger?

1 irreplaceable pet, or 1 out of 6.5billion strangers i neither knew or cared about up until that point, and will neither know or care about afterwards...

Reply 82

Kylewalker346234

12

Your Kidding right?

Pet anyday. Elvis the Rhodesian Ridgeback :biggrin:

She's saved my life (knife wielding burglar) so it's only fair I save hers :smile:

Reply 83

green.tea

18

So if you were heading to your local waitrose to buy pet food and someone from the 3rd world was sat outside starving, presumably you'd explain to him that you don't have as much money as you feel its your right to have and that he has no right to sit there making you feel guilty, adding that he should come back when you've bought all the things you want and have cash leftover? Or would this change in proximity make you feel obliged?

Reply 84

shezshez

Original post by superfoggy

1 irreplaceable pet, or 1 out of 6.5billion strangers i neither knew or cared about up until that point, and will neither know or care about afterwards...

What if the stranger was the cleverest person on Earth? and you've let him/her die because of what? Liking your pet, which actually offers no benefit to yours or anyone else's life.

Human's will always have more importance in this situation.

Reply 85

Original post by shezshez

What if the stranger was the cleverest person on Earth? and you've let him/her die because of what? Liking your pet, which actually offers no benefit to yours or anyone else's life.

Human's will always have more importance in this situation.

The pet would offer benefit to my life, it would make me happy. I wouldnt have a pet if it didnt benefit me in any way.

Well thats a 1 in 6.5billion chance eh. You could easily argue the other way, what if the stranger was a serial killer etc etc.

P.S if there were so smart they should be able to save themselves :P

Reply 86

Trailblazer

8

This is just absurd; there is no argument which can ever support saving the animal. The fact that 40% of the people on this thread would is just disturbing.

Reply 87

jameswhughes

19

The stranger, definitely. Some of the answers here are rather worrying :lolwut:

Reply 88

shezshez

Original post by Trailblazer

This is just absurd; there is no argument which can ever support saving the animal. The fact that 40% of the people on this thread would is just disturbing.

Exactly this.

Reply 89

HarveyCanis

Original post by DannyBoy123

I think most people would gain more utility value from saving their own pet than a random stranger, so it's not that irrational. Also, people are usually bastards to some degree or another, I'm sure Hitler's family would have missed him (had he not killed them) as well so saving someone on the basis that their family/friends might miss them is not that great a reason IMO.

It's a tough decision, I'd hate to kill my loyal dog then find out I'd saved a murderer/rapist etc...someone more versed in game theory than me could probably add in that regret factor as well to the equation.

That's basically the argument I follow. Thanks for not just saying "animal people are crazy" and realising there is a legitimate argument to save the animal.

Reply 90

Bellissima

16

i don't know... i love my pets so much... but at the end of the day that is very selfish and a human life has more "value".. and they would have so many people who would miss them.. hard choice...

Reply 91

Trailblazer

8

Original post by shezshez

Exactly this.

I'm not sure I feel safe in society anymore knowing that quite a few people would watch me die to that they could continue to play with their cat.

Saving the pet would be the most selfish, psychotic and evil decision a person could ever make

Reply 92

Original post by Trailblazer

This is just absurd; there is no argument which can ever support saving the animal. The fact that 40% of the people on this thread would is just disturbing.

People make this choice every single day. Do I buy food for my pet? Do i donate food to the starving in africa?

You could replace pet with any number of things even worse than feeding a pet. Do i buy an ipod or give the money to the charity...

Just because you have to consciously witness the results first hand, why does your response change. Logically based on the actions of the whole population, you should save your pet, an ipod, even your sandwich over the stranger next to it based on your previous actions you carry out, every single day.

This isnt about whether you save a stranger over something you want, its whether a person can bare to witness a death they can prevent.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 93

Callooh

Stupid argument, if I was the stranger sure I'd want you to save me. I'm sure if I was the cat I would want to be saved just as much though

Reply 94

Trailblazer

8

Original post by superfoggy

People make this choice every single day. Do I buy food for my pet? Do i donate food to the starving in africa?

You could replace pet with any number of things even worse than feeding a pet. Do i buy an ipod or give the money to the charity...

Just because you have to consciously witness the results first hand, why does your response change. Logically based on the actions of the whole population, you should save your pet, an ipod, even your sandwich over the stranger next to it based on your previous actions you carry out, every single day.

The logic of that is flawed. The instances you described are quite irrelevant and off the point in the grand scheme of this scenario. Most people if prompted would give to starving in Africa anyway.

What we are discussing here is an absolute sovereign choice between the life of an animal and a human being. Your response doesn't read coherently.

Reply 95

jameswhughes

19

Original post by HarveyCanis

Pet, easily. I have no attachment to a stranger. For all I know they're a fraud or murderer. Pets are always innocent.

Edit: What on earth is so controversial about this? :lolwut:

What if your life was at stake? Suppose you needed an ambulance and the paramedics thought "Let's not bother, he could be a fraud or a murderer"?

Reply 96

Above.The.Empyrean

As this tale unfolds, it seems only two things survive, you and a stranger/pet. Thus, I would kill myself and save both to save the burden and tribulation of not having to apprehend I've killed life.

Reply 97

HarveyCanis

Original post by jameswhughes

What if your life was at stake? Suppose you needed an ambulance and the paramedics thought "Let's not bother, he could be a fraud or a murderer"?

Yes, but in that situation there is no beloved family pet involved. I should specify that I'm considering my actual dog in this situation. The animal that basically got me through life after bullying at school.

Reply 98

Millyshyn

12

Original post by cl_steele

itsa hard one but id have to go with stranger to be honest... as much as i love my giant ginger furball of a cat a humans life is more important and whilst one can get a new cat you cant go and buy a brand new person from a shop can you?

You can breed a new person same way you can breed a new cats, except it takes a while longer. Cats don't just appear in shops as a product, you can't buy humans because we don't sell them (although humans used to have slaves, so there).. Cats have different personalities same way humans do, so even if you did try to replace your cat it would never behave in the same way as your old one, similarly to a human.
I don't think human life is more important but I guess most people see themselves as being better than animals, it's pretty disgusting. They have the right to live as much as any human.

I don't know, for me it would depend on the situation to be honest. It would probably be easier to save the person as they would cooperate with you whereas animals resist you trying to help them most of the time :/ because they're already very anxious and don't know what's going on, they end up attacking you even though you're trying to help them, so I'd most likely go with the person.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 99