Poll: Your Pet is Drowning, and so is a Stranger.

[the December King]

I don't have a problem that you love your pet. I have a problem that is trumps the life of a stranger... because you don't have a connection.

This is the problem, it doesn't matter what the life in peril is for society or for the wider benefit of people. Only how it stimulates your emotional synapses, are we really rational beings if we make decisions like this.

I see what you're saying, I think.

I think it might be a product of the fact that as a species and as a race, we don't need to worry about the future of our tribe/clan/what have you on the merit of one individual anymore, maybe? Or rather, it might be a conclusion that one could reach?

In a world of seven- odd billion people, a connection is very important to the individual. We can try to love everyone, I suppose, and many do- but many more don't.

To be fair, if I was forced to make the titular descision, I actually don't know how I'd react- and I sure as hell haven't weighed in at the polls, after hearing how biased the OP is. But I do love my pet, and that means something to me. It might make the difference.

Maybe I'm not as rational as I like to think I am.

 

[217not237]

Save a human being who can benefit society in some way.

Are humans more likely to benefit humanity? Considering how the world looks today, I'd say that a human being is just as likely to invent a new agent of biological warfare as curing aids. There is no empirical evidence to suggest that humans are inherently good, and that premise is needed for your argument to work.

I'm just being realistic.

...Well, if you want to be cynical about it, fine. I say give the stranger the benefit of the doubt. Unless he's covered in swastika tattoos, I don't think there's reason to doubt him.

 

[Treblaine]

I also think it's quite clear, by now at the least, that I would disagree with your blows on Ayn Rand. I find her a fascinating individual, both for her philosophy and her literature.

I put her in the same category as L Ron Hubbard, creator of Scientology.

the captcha taunts me: agree to disagree

 

[TKretts3]

I would also like to ask, what do you consider as a stranger? Like the wife from The Box said, "How well do we really know them [our neighbours]?"

Is someone you've met and know by name not a stranger? What if you know nothing about them? They're practically a stranger. Or how about famous/well-known people? These are people that you've seen on TV, Films, or read about. Are they strangers, after all you know them about as much as you know the first example.

 

[Quaidis]

Can't choose. Therefore I choose not to vote. I'd likely die trying to save both. A life is a life. I don't pick favorites.


Captcha: I am not going to choose dish for the life of me. Change to something else, dammit...

Captcha part 2: No, I'm not going to take a survey either. What crackhead put these captcha bots up?

Captcha part 3: nobody home... Sounds about right.

 

[RJ 17]

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

 

[the December King]

Better question, you have been abducted by aliens in the middle of a local flood you've been caught in but they are friendly and won't hurt you they are trying to follow objective values of morality to avoid war between planets.

The aliens point out to you two organism below that have survived the flood, a random person holding your pet in the slowly encroaching flood. The aliens have one last teleport zap before they leave that can only take one organism but very soon both will fall into the churning flood and die. It is technically totally impossible for the aliens to rescue any other discrete organism, so no debate there.

The aliens didn't want to teleport you up in the first place, now you have to convince them to save one, or the other in terms even these aliens would accept. You cannot appeal to "it's another human" or "it's MY pet" they are completely neutral, in the most extreme sense, they have no vested interest other than not to be deliberately malicious.

What could you possibly say to convince them?

Cool!

If I wanted to save the stranger, I'd totally explain that they might need a breeding pair of us to begin to understand us (assuming they understand english, or read my mind, or some such thing).

If I wanted to save the animal, I'd probably explain that it would provide a wider sample of genetic material for study.

...

Either way I'm getting probed, aren't I?

I'm not sure you're entering into the spirit of this right, the point is to be more objective and argue on far more objective terms, that yo'd have in common with a completely alien but intelligent life form.

Not to instead try to appeal to alien logic of them being scientists manically obsessive with samples, they are supposed to be passive observers seeking a universal morality but erring on the side of total non-intervention. Not interested in probing, they just downloaded human anatomy textbook from the internet, they know everything FACTUAL about humans.

You need to make a non-contradictory argument for one or the other. Breeding pair and genetic variables they could get elsewhere. Why save THAT organism from THAT situation.

They are going to rescue you both 9whichever both) then when their orbit has looped around again set you back on earth much later and get you do sign a NDA form or something so you don't tell anyone about the alien abduction and secret observation of earth thing.

I'm starting to realise this analogy has too many holes.

No no no! Just roll with it! It's fun.

For example, okay, I'll explain to these apparently star-trek styled cosmonauts that if this prime directive of theirs is so easily broken for a schmoe like me, that they probably have already made up their minds and will save the other human.

Unless they are, in fact, space cats, wherein the descision is also already made. I wonder if they'll make me wear a mouse costume? Oh, horrible overlords!

Personally, they should send me back into the whirlpool- they are messing with primitives, influencing things directly, and altering the course of events.

And that's a moral 'grey' area... oh, snap!

 

[bluerocker]

As terrible as it sounds, but out of complete honesty, I would save my pet. To me, my pets are the equivalent of children to me. To let my child die instead of a total stranger... I don't think so.

Call me crazy, call me selfish, but that is how I'd feel about the matter.

 

[Dangit2019]

Save the person, hands down, every time.
Sorry I know you love fido but we're talking about another human being. And I'll be brutally honest if I saw anyone in that situation (and I couldn't make it in time to help the person drowning) I'd kick the person and their pet into the whirlpool for being absolute d-bags.

I second this notion, and I do so with, what else, a Fillion gif:

Spoiler

 

[DugMachine]

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

That is the best name for a hamster I have ever seen. I award you +30 internets.

 

[Flunk]

I would save the stranger, I can always get another fish.

 

[Dangit2019]

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

If that is your Hamster's real name I think he deserves a special case to live just out of awesomeness.

 

[level27smartass]

Is the person a minority /scarcasm. Why cant I try to save both.

 

[Treblaine]

I don't have a problem that you love your pet. I have a problem that is trumps the life of a stranger... because you don't have a connection.

This is the problem, it doesn't matter what the life in peril is for society or for the wider benefit of people. Only how it stimulates your emotional synapses, are we really rational beings if we make decisions like this.

I see what you're saying, I think.

I think it might be a product of the fact that as a species and as a race, we don't need to worry about the future of our tribe/clan/what have you on the merit of one individual anymore, maybe? Or rather, it might be a conclusion that one could reach?

In a world of seven- odd billion people, a connection is very important to the individual. We can try to love everyone, I suppose, and many do- but many more don't.

To be fair, if I was forced to make the titular descision, I actually don't know how I'd react- and I sure as hell haven't weighed in at the polls, after hearing how biased the OP is. But I do love my pet, and that means something to me. It might make the difference.

Maybe I'm not as rational as I like to think I am.

I don't really know what I'd do either. I just want to be a rational being who can do the right thing.

It's been the hardest thing for me to realise that I, and most people, to spite how much we reason and talk and think have our rationality sabotaged by our emotions so that we do things even though we know they are wrong.

Adam Curtis did a documentary on this, "The Century Of The Self"


Food for thought... and sleepless nights. A tyranny of mind.

 

[the December King]

Adam Curtis did a documentary on this, "The Century Of The Self"


Food for thought... and sleepless nights. A tyranny of mind.

Thanks for the link, Treblaine. I'll have a look tomorrow - and I appreciate the discourse.

 

[Zakarath]

My pet is a fish. It'll be fine.

 

[Dangit2019]

Is the person a minority /scarcasm. Why cant I try to save both.

Because it's a hypothetical situation in which you can't and you know you can't (somehow).

 

[Gidiel167]

my pet vs random person number 4,764,970,372? my pet every time

 

[RJ 17]

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

If that is your Hamster's real name I think he deserves a special case to live just out of awesomeness.

Indeed it is his real name (I was going to go with Zenthar, Eatter of Realms, but that seemed like a bit much) and indeed he is awesome. :3

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

That is the best name for a hamster I have ever seen. I award you +30 internets.

Thank you very much, Bonecrusher uses them as bedding.

 

[Basement Cat]

Gotta stick with the same-species bias. Sorry, but Bonecrusher the Hamster's gotta take one for the team.

What the others said. Tubular name, guy. It Rocks.