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Interestng ethical question
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RockmanX
Ni - Master
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 9:15 pm Posts: 68 Location: the 9th circle of hell
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Interestng ethical question
So I was watching old episodes of Hercules, and it raised an interesting ethical question I thought I'd see what people thought about. Wasn't sure where to put it so I posted here.
A man is about to fall down a cliff. You have it within your power to save him at no risk to yourself. Do you save the man?
Most people, including myself, would answer yes.
Now what if I were to say that in the immediate future, after being saved, this man would go on to be a mass murderer. He would kill dozens of people until he was caught. If you let him fall, all of that would be stopped. Do you save him?
The question in this is if you let him fall, you were party to the death of an innocent man as he hadn't done anything yet. However, if you saved him, then you were party to the deaths of the others. My personal thoughts on this is that I would save him, as while I cannot determine the actions or intentions of others, I have control over my own and don't have the right to act as judge and jury. That just be me two cents.
Be interesting to hear people's thoughts.
_________________ "No, a vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, you become something else entirely.
"Which is?"
"A legend."
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Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:02 pm |
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NekoChan
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2004 1:40 pm Posts: 279 Location: Texas
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Now heres a question... do you KNOW that the person in question will go on to kill the dozens of people? Because if *I* knew that bit of information... I would laugh as the bastard fell to his death...
But... if I didnt know... I would save him... because thats just who I am...
_________________ I do the arts for this place... --->
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Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:09 pm |
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Contra Deus
Cherub
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:41 am Posts: 31
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I remember that episode. That was probably the best story arc in the entire series, even if it did end too abruptly and could've been stretched out more.
Anyway, if you KNOW for a fact that he will commit these crimes, i.e., there is only ONE possible future for this guy, then I say let him drop like a rock.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.
Last edited by Contra Deus on Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:14 pm |
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-B-
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 2088 Location: Yes.
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Yup, that's pretty much the best answer.
If you know he's going to kill lots of people, then letting him die, or assisting in his deal, is an act that would save the dozens of people. Saving him in that case would be the same as killing those people yourself.
If you *don't* know what he's going to do in future, then saving him is the same as saving anyone else, something you just do.
_________________ Bad things happen because people are stupid.
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Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:23 pm |
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Christopher Fiss
WAR SysOp
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 7:56 pm Posts: 3479 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Also, it depends if the knowledge of his future nasty deeds is something you can use to change the fate he's lined up for himself.
If it's a case of "no matter what you do afterwards he'll murder innocents" then sure, I'd let him drop. But the optimist in me might think "what if me saving his life changes him?"
_________________
Christopher Fiss W.A.R. SysOp
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Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:51 pm |
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Anony-mouse
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 9:14 pm Posts: 2769 Location: Location, Location!
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Silly absolutists. Save him, then paralyze him with a rock to the spine. That way he can't kill but is still alive. It produces the least amount of suffering and thus is the most just act.
_________________
"Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step to true panic."
--Freefall
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
-- David J. Liszewski
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Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:02 am |
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-B-
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 2088 Location: Yes.
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This is all, of course, if whatever is telling us about his future potential murders, isn't lying. <.<
_________________ Bad things happen because people are stupid.
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Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:18 am |
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Twyst
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:01 pm Posts: 287 Location: Co. Springs, CO, USA
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You can't condemn someone based on something they haven't done. You CAN however, attempt to stop someone from committing an act you're sure they're about to commit.
Based on this and the thought people should control their own destiny, I'd save the man, then attempt to stop him from murdering. If I fail the stopping, toss the guy back off the cliff.
_________________ Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc - We gladly feast on those who would subdue us
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Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:38 pm |
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}=]DarkNate
Chibi-Czar
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 9:01 pm Posts: 280 Location: The Frozen North of the Upper Peninnsula of Michigan
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Anony-mouse wrote: Silly absolutists. Save him, then paralyze him with a rock to the spine. That way he can't kill but is still alive. It produces the least amount of suffering and thus is the most just act.
I like this idea. We should institute it in the US instead of the death penalty, or as an option in stiffer sentences. I can see it now:
"You've been convicted on charges of killing five people in a planned rampage. We're going to knock you out with some anethesia, cut your spinal cord so you'll never walk again, and put you in a really uncomfortable wheelchair you'll have to pay for. Oh, wait, you also raped one of the victims? We'll cut a little higher then, and make sure you can't feel anything below your waist. You'll have a colostomy bag and a catheter for the rest of your life. Now go sit in your cell and think about what you've done."
It isn't cruel if you knock them out first, and it's not unusual if it's a common practice. Best of all, the guy's not dead and can easily be put back into society with a few prosthetics if it turns out the court screwed up! In the future, we may even be able to heal nerve damage, so the guy can go back with no problems at all once his sentence is up. Everybody wins!
_________________ "The knowledge, it fills me! It is neat." --Evil Crazy Gir, "Gir goes crazy and stuff" ep 32.
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Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:51 pm |
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