Morality test: What's your life worth?

I think these sort of moral questions are a false dichotomy. It assumes you are in a situation where there are only two options; the first option is you die to save the persons life and the second option is you don't sacrifice your life and the person dies.

The problem is that in any situation there are infinite scenarios that could take place. I find it hard to believe that one would be in a situation where from the infinite scenarios that could happen, the only one single scenario that will save the person's life is me dying. Plus, as we are not omnipotent beings, we will never be in a situation to know whether our death would truly save the person's life. If there is no guarantee that my sacrifice will save them, then why would I take such a risqué action. In fact, I would argue that I am of more use alive than dead. My death might save them from the first danger that threatens their life, but what it another unrelated threat appears. Due to a lack of foresight, I haven't foreseen this addition threat, but as I am dead, I cannot protect them from this threat.

Reply 21

Pwyll

9

Original post by Lissy14

Would you die to save:

•

*1 stranger

•

*2 strangers

•

*[add own no.] of strangers

I probably would not choose to die to save one or two strangers. As for n number of strangers, it's somewhat like the question of how many stones make a heap of stones... If it's a significant quantity, then yes, definitely, but there isn't a definite threshold beyond which n is large enough.

Because they're strangers (and this applies to the first 2 scenarios) I couldn't evaluate whether it would be worth saving them in terms of overall benefit. It sounds cold maybe, but if the choice is my life or the lives of two random (or statistically average - and therefore non-essential) people I've probably never met, I wouldn't be swayed to sacrifice myself. Objectively speaking, it might benefit everyone else to have two people alive instead of one, but with such small numbers I doubt it'd really matter.

Original post by Lissy14

I was discussing this with friends the other day & was surprised at some of the answers they gave. I was just wondering what other peoples responses were.

Would you die to save:

•

*1 sibling

•

*1 parent

•

*1 other family member/friend

•

*>1 family member/friend

•

*All your family/friends

Since with these points there would have been the opportunity to evaluate the value of each individual, objectively or subjectively. If a sibling, parent, or other friend/family member was objectively speaking more useful than me, then I should definitely die. For more than one, I don't know if I would die - assuming the conditions I already set were met then theoretically yes.

I would more likely be willing to risk death for certain people but the rules of the scenario go against this. I can't decide if I wouldn't feel guilty for not dying for someone. I could probably live with it, but if you gave your life to have a clear conscience, you wouldn't live to appreciate your selflessness anyway.

Reply 22

hellodave5

19

Original post by Aph

I don't know, if it were someone getting shot on the street would I take the bullet? Probably not. But if I was told 'you die now and this random person won't, as long as I knew it was genuine I'd die for a stranger.

Why for a stranger? That stranger could be a terrible person. Strangers have no reason to mean anything to ye either.

Only people I would die for are family and very good friends, or my current or a past partners which ofc do/have shared great intimacy with.

Reply 23

tengentoppa

18

Amazed to see people say they'd die for strangers. I think I would only die for my mother

Reply 24

Aph

22

Original post by hellodave5

Why for a stranger? That stranger could be a terrible person. Strangers have no reason to mean anything to ye either.

Only people I would die for are family and very good friends, or my current or a past partners which ofc do/have shared great intimacy with.

Imagine being shown on a screen some random person walking in the street or something and then being told that if you don't die they will. As far as I am concerned one life is no more Important then another and I couldn't condemn a man to die who was likely innocent.

Reply 25

hellodave5

19

Original post by Aph

Imagine being shown on a screen some random person walking in the street or something and then being told that if you don't die they will. As far as I am concerned one life is no more Important then another and I couldn't condemn a man to die who was likely innocent.

But you too are innocent. Humans are inherently egocentric. We only usually imagine the world as we ourselves see it. I don't think you would. I honestly think, as romantic as would be, would be a bit stupid to give your life for someone else. I would risk death to defend someone vulnerable or being taken advantage of to an extent, sure, but I wouldn't condemn myself to death as a choice.

Reply 26

Aph

22

Original post by hellodave5

But you too are innocent. Humans are inherently egocentric. We only usually imagine the world as we ourselves see it. I don't think you would. I honestly think, as romantic as would be, would be a bit stupid to give your life for someone else. I would risk death to defend someone vulnerable or being taken advantage of to an extent, sure, but I wouldn't condemn myself to death as a choice.

Well I would :redface:

I can't see how someone wouldn't. And as for your point about me being innocent, well I'd be choosing for a person to die to serve my own interests, I could never do that, so long as the death was quick and painless.

Reply 27

hellodave5

19

Original post by Aph

Well I would :redface:

I can't see how someone wouldn't. And as for your point about me being innocent, well I'd be choosing for a person to die to serve my own interests, I could never do that, so long as the death was quick and painless.

But it wouldn't be. It would be defaulting to what is going to happen without your intervention. It's not killing someone - its just not giving up your life for some randomers.

Reply 28

LordPhylogeny

12

I would not die if I knew it would save someone elses life. I know it sounds heartless but I know if I just wouldnt want that person living knowing that they had been the cause of my death.

Reply 29

Aph

22

Original post by hellodave5

But it wouldn't be. It would be defaulting to what is going to happen without your intervention. It's not killing someone - its just not giving up your life for some randomers.

Yes it is, by not intervening it is as good as condemning the person to death yourself.

Reply 30

hellodave5

19

Original post by Aph

Yes it is, by not intervening it is as good as condemning the person to death yourself.

It really isn't pal. Its like refusing to give someone else your last bit of food and water which - say which could only sustain one of you. It seems stupid to do so, unless you for some reason place their life value over yours. But in normal society where such value is practically superfluous, I don't see why.

Reply 31

Sempiternitas

13

1)≥ 1 parent, sibling or good friend
2)≤ 5 strangers
3)≥ 1 friend I'm not particularly close to or a great number of strangers

Reply 32

Viva Emptiness

20

I wouldn't die for a stranger.
Or two.
Maybe like, a million? We're talking, Holocaust preventing levels of suffering and death.
I wouldn't die for my parents because I know they wouldn't want me to.
I would probably die for my boyfriend because a) I couldn't live with the guilt of not, and b) knowing that he has to live with that guilt would give me immense, sick satisfaction.

Reply 33

KeepYourChinUp

17

Original post by Lissy14

Would you die to save:

•

*1 stranger

•

*2 strangers

•

*[add own no.] of strangers

•

*1 sibling

•

*1 parent

•

*1 other family member/friend

•

*>1 family member/friend

•

*All your family/friends

Please state:
1) who, in the above list, you would die for
2) who, in the above list, you would not die for
3) who, in the above list, you don't know if you would die for

Please be honest.

I am an extremely selfish person with regards to my own interest so I don't think I would give up my life to save another family member.

1) Nobody
2) Everybody
3) Isaac Newton (I would think long and hard about giving up my life if it meant Isaac Newton could be brought back from the dead.)

Before people jump on me about how selfish I sound I've already acknowledged that I'm selfish. I have aspergers and have difficulty connecting emotion and having empathy which is probably the reason I am naturally a very very selfish person.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 34

Kim-Jong-Illest

16

lol at people dying to save 2 strangers.

Reply 35

Farm_Ecology

12

Simply put, I would die for none.

While I believe the world should be a just place, and that it is moral for one life to be sacrificed to save others, I would not be able to make that sacrifice myself.

If someone were to kill me, to save 1 stranger, I would see it as morally neutral. If someone were to kill me to save 2 strangers, I would recognize it as the right thing to do. I would, however, not wish for them to kill me in either circumstance. I would sacrifice every living thing on the planet if it meant my survival.

So

1) None
2) All of them
3) None (in that I know my stand point)

Reply 36

Drunk Punx

19

I wouldn't die for any of them. If their time is up I'm not about to play god at the expense of my own existence.

Reply 37

El Salvador

21

Why would I die for anyone?

Under this condition I really won't die for anyone. They need to be someone special or be doing something special for me to die for them. There's also no guarantee how long they'd be living for.

There'd be nothing left once I'm dead so it's pointless to die for anyone or anything unless I really for some reason want to.

Reply 38

El Salvador

21

Original post by KeepYourChinUp

I am an extremely selfish person with regards to my own interest so I don't think I would give up my life to save another family member.

1) Nobody
2) Everybody
3) Isaac Newton (I would think long and hard about giving up my life if it meant Isaac Newton could be brought back from the dead.)

Before people jump on me about how selfish I sound I've already acknowledged that I'm selfish. I have aspergers and have difficulty connecting emotion and having empathy which is probably the reason I am naturally a very very selfish person.