h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

and of course he was defending 2 men with information vital to the whole of Japan so thats a lot of lives to be protecting

are our reactions to this culturally determined to some extent?
I suspect a Viking would have little diffiulty with these questions

'are our reactions to this culturally determined to some extent?
I suspect a Viking would have little diffiulty with these questions'

Yes, they are culturally determined completely. And cow or lion would have little difficulty with these questions either.

Part of being human is being paralyzed by a moral dilemma.

I'd certainly be paralyzed although I'm not sure if fear or moral dilemma would win out as the cause

I think I'd have to say yes to all four of the initial questions, thought the degree of uncertainty would be a factor, as would the situation. Do I need to blow up a busful of crippled children that is speeding toward my family or convince a rabid grizzly to eat me instead of my three year-old daughter? Or do I need to hunt and kill a bunch of action movie bad guys to save Saskatoon from an atom bomb.
I think Anhaga asked some interesting questions and I agree with him on the "preparing surprises for an occupier" - I don't think I'd be comfortable bombing detroit either, but if USAF had flattened my parents house in Hamilton with my folks in it, I suspect I might feel differently. Thats one of the reasons I get p!ssed off when people talk about the Palestinians vs. Israelis or the various ethnicities in the Balkans or the Iraqis, or for that matter the Irish like they are all a bunch of faceless soul-less 'terrorists' - they are all individuals with their own motivations. So-called terrorist are among the most motivated people in the world even if we don't agree with their methods.
I don't think I have it in me to be a suicide bomber, but I know in my heart I could shoot someone if I thought I had a good enough reason. I'm neither proud nor happy about it, but somewhat sad. If I were an Iraqi, I'm fairly confident I'd be in the resistance.

1) If you were able to certainly save a large group of people that included some that you care for, would you lay down your life?

A: If we are being honest, then I would only lay down my life for immediate blood family members as everyone else is expendable

2) If that certainty was in doubt, would you do the same?

A: No doubt, no problem

3) If your own life depended on it, would you kill?

A: In a nanosecond and as violently as I could

4) If that same large group of people was apparently in danger, would you kill?

A: If none of my blood family were at risk, I would walk away


The answers I gave may seem morally reprehensible to you, but I have been ruthlessly honest - the only people worth dying for are your "Inner Circle" blood family. IMHO.

I find that emphasis on blood relatives quite strange. Is this wife and children or parents and siblings?

Yes - Parents, siblings, Wives, husbands, children. The "Family" unit.
I know I would walk off a cliff for any of them, and they would do the same for me.

Not too sure if anyone else would........

What about if you had to choose between one brother or two nephews?

That is quite easy if you isolate emotion from the equation - The Brother bites the dust as the others have longer to live.........

Is it length of potential remaining life or degree of genetic identity? What about a much younger brother (long life and virtually identical genes) or son conceived in youth (long life and half the genes coming from someone other than you)?

Depends on who has borrowed the most money off me. You then have to consider the fiscal impact of non repayment of debt, interest outstanding, interest rates in force at the time plus has either of them looked funny at you in the past............

Brings to mind the agonising issue that sometimes arose in the past during childbirth. 'We can save either the mother or the child'. Compounded if the woman will not be able to have any more children.

Not just in the past.

<>

I am sorry, I know what you mean, but shudder. That sounds very cold.

Doc,
I understand the "in a nanosecond" bit about killing in self defense, but not the "as violently as possible" part

The great geneticist J. B. S. Haldane was once asked whether he would risk death to save a drowning brother. "No," he famously replied, "but I would to save two brothers - or eight cousins."


But then again he also said:

You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving on the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away....A rat is killed, a man broken, a horse splashes.



I guess he didn't go in for practical demonstrations....

Dear Rev Paperboy on your comment:


"I understand the "in a nanosecond" bit about killing in self defense, but not the "as violently as possible" part"

Ok, fair enough we appear to agree on the Nanosecond bit. The other "As violently as possible" would serve as a warning to any other assailants watching. It is along the lines of the principle that there is nothing scarier than someone completely out of control. If there were mutliple assailants, then dispatching the first as violently as possible and then standing there saying to the rest "Want Some?" would (in most cases) make them think twice. Or three times. Either way, they would probably be scared witless enough to give you time to consider your options.

Of course, if there is a single assailant, then you would have luxury time to concoct a lovely "James Bond" style of death - you know, strapped to a table, laser beam about to become intimate with your privates, etc that kind of thing.

You can save one of the following three people which one and why would you choose them over:

a) an 85year old widow
b) a 28yo married man who has two kids one 3yo and one 7yo
c) a 4 year old girl

probably the father. If he were a single parent the decision would be more clear. I feel that it is easier for a parent to bury a child than it is for a child to bury a parent. I assume any children of the widow are grown up by the time she had reached 85.