Yet Another Hypothetical

[Onionsoilder]

Quite simple; you are given the choice of killing another human. If you don't kill them, you will die. If you kill them, you will survive.

You don't know anything about this person. They could be a saint or a depraved criminal - you don't know. They could be rich or they could be poor. They could be religious or they could be atheist. You don't even know if they are male or female. All you know is that one of you will die, and if you do kill them, it will be your own hand doing the deed. What do you do?

Waiting would fall under not killing them, and result in your own death.

 

[SG-17]

Do you have to kill them face to face? Or is it like that Twilight Zone episode with the button?



It would be yes either way regardless.

 

[Luckymoose]

I'd kill them because I can't possibly feel their emotion and know that I would rather be alive.

 

[bombshoo]

I would kill them if I were in my current position in life. If I were old and/or sick anyways, I might choose to die.

 

[Perfection]

I'd probably kill them.

That said, it would take a massive amount of convincing to make me believe this dichotomy. If it's just some psycho with a gun telling me this, I'd like to think that I wouldn't, but knowing how I've behaved in the past when threatened, I imagine I'd probably be less than courageous.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Hmm... Interesting. I would like to say I would sacrifice myself, but I can not honestly say 100% that I would. Last-minutes fears/regrets might make me change my mind. That's why I['m wondering what other people think on this issue.

 

[Mango Elephant]

I think I would kill myself, but this is one of those questions where you don't know what you would do until you're actually put in the situation.

 

[ZeletDude]

Well if it weren't face to face, and if weren't old I'd kill them...

 

[emzie]

My life means more to me than anyone else (save my immediate family), so without any hesitation, I'll kill a stranger for my own survival, be it a 6-year-old child or a serial killer.

 

[Joecoolyo]

The face-to-face question here is really the deciding factor for me.

If I have to do it face-to-face, unless I sum up some last minute courage, I wouldn't be able to do it. Hell, I can't even kill spiders, how the hell am I supposed to kill another human being?

If it isn't, then I'd be more than glad to do it.

 

[warpus]

Hmmm could the other person be an unborn fetus? Or are we assuming post-birth people only?

I would kill and save my skin.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Hmm... I didn't give the face to face issue much thought. I would say yes, it is face to face; you have a gun and you will be the one pulling the trigger. If you don't kill them, a random third party will kill you.

Hmmm could the other person be an unborn fetus? Or are we assuming post-birth people only?

I would kill and save my skin.

What immediately comes to mind when you think of a person? If for some weird reason you immediately think of a fetus, then yeah, I suppose it counts... though I'm not sure why you would think of a fetus before of a full-grown adult.

 

[warpus]

What immediately comes to mind when you think of a person? If for some weird reason you immediately think of a fetus, then yeah, I suppose it counts... though I'm not sure why you would think of a fetus before of a full-grown adult.

Well, consider this. At any point in time about 1.3% of all women in the world are pregnant. Some of these women are carrying twins, some are carrying triplets, and so forth. We can therefore assume that on top of the 6 billion people who are currently in existence, there might be as many as 60 million fetuses.

So, if we include fetuses in this hypothetical, chances are that the random person to die is somebody who has already been born.. BUT.. there is a chance that it could be a fetus. Something we are allowed to kill without it being murder.

SO.. that would make me feel a bit better about saving my own skin.

I think.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Well, the point of the hypothetical is is you would be willing to kill another to save yourself. Assuming both human lives have the same value, it's a "me or them" situation, coupled with the morality of killing them yourself. So while fetuses might be included(I personally wouldn't, because I don't really see them as people until after they are born, and thus why I support a woman's right to abortion), you wouldn't know if you were killing a fetus, a child, or an adult, same way you wouldn't know if they were male of female.

Kind of getting off track here though.

 

[Evil_Abe]

A: I'd rather die than live with the guilt of having killed someone else.
B: I know where I'm going when I die, I have no clue about them.

The only way I can justify killing someone else is if they purposely present an immediate threat to my life, or the lives of anyone around me.

 

[JohnRM]

Quite simple; you are given the choice of killing another human. If you don't kill them, you will die. If you kill them, you will survive.

You don't know anything about this person. They could be a saint or a depraved criminal - you don't know. They could be rich or they could be poor. They could be religious or they could be atheist. You don't even know if they are male or female. All you know is that one of you will die, and if you do kill them, it will be your own hand doing the deed. What do you do?

Waiting would fall under not killing them, and result in your own death.

Then I suppose that I will die.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

Since the choice is in my hands, and not the other's, it would be unfair to the other person to end their life on my choice. Plus, I'll die eventually anyways and to enter the afterlife on such a selfless action would have to count for something in the off-chance their is a judgement, so I choose to sacrifice myself.

 

[Bast]

This is an easy one for anyone who believes in karma and samsara. Never kill another living being.

 

[kiwitt]

Me -> my spouse -> my family -> my friends -> my collegues -> my acquaintances -> strangers.

A stranger is well down the pecking order and now one is above me.

 

[Tee Kay]

It sounds like a noble way to commit suicide. I'll take it.