Would You Kill?

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Would you kill another person to eat them if you were starving to death and no other food was there?

Would you kill your best friend if doing so would make you immortal?

I don't know what I'd do on the first one, on the second one I think I'd ask them if they'd let me kill them so I could live forever. If they said "no" I wouldn't kill them; I still might not be able to do it even then.

[wade-w]

I'm really not sure how I would answer the first question.

I have absolutely no desire to be immortal, so that question is easy. Hell no, since the very thought of immortality scares the hell out of me.

[Dingfod]

No to both.

I would not kill another person to keep from starving to death. But, if they were to die, I'd be willing to eat them to keep from starving to death.

I wouldn't kill my best friend to make myself immortal any more than I would commit suicide to make him immortal and I wouldn't dream of asking him to die for me.

However, to answer the basic question, could I kill? Yes. If I absolutely had to. If someone was trying to kill me, I'd try like hell to stop them without killing them, but if killing them was the only way to stop them from killing me, I'd kill.

But, could I sight my rifle scope in on an old Iraqi man hanging wash on a rooftop clothesline* and pull the trigger? No. But, if he were on a rooftop shooting at me, different story.

*Really happened, sniper was about to shoot when the imbedded news cameraman tapped him on the shoulder and told him "I'll testify at your murder trial." Sniper didn't shoot the Iraqi, in fact, seemed rather shook up. Sometimes people need to be reminded that killing innocent people is wrong. Sad, but true.

In case there's any question about me, I've never killed anyone. Hell, I've never even beat anyone up. I'm a big fellow and probably could put the beatdown on quite a few people, probably some that deserve it, but the situation that would've required it just never came up.

[beyelzu]

in the first case, probably not, unless I had some hope of actually living much longer by taking another person's life, not just short term.


In the second case,


uhh, maybe. although, it seems likely that I could kill some substitute to kill instead, like a kiddie rapist or some shit.

[LadyShea]

No to both, but if they died some other way, I might consider eating them if it was the only way for me to survive.

Why immortality? That's not even something I want.

[livius drusus]

I fear living with loss far more than I fear my own death, so that's another no to both.

[beyelzu]

I guess I am the only one who answered yes to either question,

damn, I guess everyone else is just more moral.

:D

[wade-w]

I guess I am the only one who answered yes to either question,

damn, I guess everyone else is just more moral.

:D

Well, beyelzu, I did equivocate on the first one. I'd need a hell of a lot more information in order to give an answer either way.

Thing is, it's one thing to say what you would or wouldn't do in a life or death situation sitting here in front of your computer, and quite another to actually be faced with such a decision.

[livius drusus]

I agree, wade, but aren't these kinds of questions more like tests of personal morality than a reflection of reality? I always think of them that way because otherwise there's pretty much nothing that I wouldn't have to preface with a ya never know until you're there disclaimer.

[beyelzu]

I guess I am the only one who answered yes to either question,

damn, I guess everyone else is just more moral.

:D

Well, beyelzu, I did equivocate on the first one. I'd need a hell of a lot more information in order to give an answer either way.

Thing is, it's one thing to say what you would or wouldn't do in a life or death situation sitting here in front of your computer, and quite another to actually be faced with such a decision.
I agree, it is impossible to say what one would actually do in any given situation, it is only possible to say what we would like to think we would do or what we fear we would do.

[Dingfod]

I agree, it is impossible to say what one would actually do in any given situation, it is only possible to say what we would like to think we would do or what we fear we would do.Throw another factor in the equation and your point really becomes pertinent. Would you kill someone else so your family or friends wouldn't starve to death? Would you kill someone else to save your family or friends from being killed? Would you kill someone else to save someone you don't know from being killed? I do not know my answer to these, the situation itself would have to raise its ugly head before I'd actually know what I'd do.

[LadyShea]

Well, beyelzu, I did equivocate on the first one. I'd need a hell of a lot more information in order to give an answer either way.

Thing is, it's one thing to say what you would or wouldn't do in a life or death situation sitting here in front of your computer, and quite another to actually be faced with such a decision.

Very, very true

[Johnny Pneumatic]

Throw another factor in the equation and your point really becomes pertinent. Would you kill someone else so your family or friends wouldn't starve to death? Would you kill someone else to save your family or friends from being killed? Would you kill someone else to save someone you don't know from being killed? I do not know my answer to these, the situation itself would have to raise its ugly head before I'd actually know what I'd do.

If the person I was going to kill was the being that was the mortal threat to my family or the unknown person then yes I would kill them if it had to come to that because they are the one attacking someone. The first one I don't know. Would they be the food or would they just be taking the food you and your family needs and there isn't enough to share? The logical thing to do would be to kill them. Then more of my genes would have a chance of being passed on to future generations and I wouldn't die then. It'd be a form of self defense wouldn't it? Defending yourself from starving?

[Dingfod]

It'd be a form of self defense wouldn't it? Defending yourself from starving?That's the quandary. If I was of a reproductive age and capable of it, I might feel I have more to live for, but I have two problems, I'm getting old and decrepit, and I'm depressed, so no, I'd rather starve than even fight for food, let alone kill. Being that I'm carrying about 100 pounds of fat around, it would take quite a while to starve to death.

[viscousmemories]

I hate to break it to you all, but...





Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!


Ahem, anyway I don't know if I would kill and eat someone if I was starving, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility. It would probably depend a lot on whether I liked them. :D

My life would be dramatically different if I was immortal, so it's tempting. Still I wouldn't kill my best friend to acheive it. I wouldn't want to hurt his family that way.

[wildernesse]

To the first one, I probably wouldn't kill someone to eat them, even if I were starving. But, if they happened to die, that's another story (without a probably). It depends on a lot of things. Anyway, aren't you supposed to draw straws for that sort of thing? :P

And I wouldn't kill my best friend for immortality--after all, I've read Tuck Everlasting, and those people were sad.

[HelenM]

I doubt I'd be able to kill anyone. I have a hard enough time saying 'no' to other people. :couch:

Helen

[Godfather]

Yes with an 'and', or no with a 'but'.

It's a big mistake to think that hypothetical morality questions like this can tell us anything at all about other people or ourselves. They are always either too artificially simple to reflect the inescapable complexities of real life (like the first question) or obviously impossible (like the second question) or both. Either way, they are entirely divorced from reality.

I'm not being critical of your thread, SkepticJ, so please don't be offended. I often enjoy 'what if?' scenarios as well. I'm just saying that in most cases the best answer is actually 'maybe.'

[Adora]

Would you kill another person to eat them if you were starving to death and no other food was there?

Depends on if they were tasty enough or not. Are you tasty? *eyes*

Would you kill your best friend if doing so would make you immortal?

No, because why would I want to be immortal? Immortality is death.

[Darren]

Would you kill another person to eat them if you were starving to death and no other food was there?

Would you kill your best friend if doing so would make you immortal?

I don't know what I'd do on the first one, on the second one I think I'd ask them if they'd let me kill them so I could live forever. If they said "no" I wouldn't kill them; I still might not be able to do it even then.


No to the first (presuming a no more than normally irrational state of mind on my part) and absolutely not to the second - the idea of selective immortality is particularly unnattractive because of the loss and loneliness that would be inseperable from it.

[LadyXoc]

No.

But I can't guarantee that if my blood sugar were dangerously low and they were getting on my nerves, that I wouldn't club them senseless.

[Sonnet]

But, could I sight my rifle scope in on an old Iraqi man hanging wash on a rooftop clothesline* and pull the trigger? No. But, if he were on a rooftop shooting at me, different story.

*Really happened, sniper was about to shoot when the imbedded news cameraman tapped him on the shoulder and told him "I'll testify at your murder trial." Sniper didn't shoot the Iraqi, in fact, seemed rather shook up. Sometimes people need to be reminded that killing innocent people is wrong. Sad, but true.

Where can I find more information about this?

Also, no to both. I'd rather eat people than animals, but I wouldn't kill anything anyway.

[seebs]

I don't think I would. I don't really understand the concept of immortality enough to specifically want it or not want it. As to killing people to eat 'em... I can't imagine it. Dunno whether that's a moral thing or an instinct.

[Johnny Pneumatic]

I'd rather eat people than animals, but I wouldn't kill anything anyway.[/COLOR][/FONT]

You'd rather starve? :eek: If our hominid ancestors had this attitude we wouldn't be here. Something to think about.