Philosophy-minded Question (should be fun, be honest)

[Thorgrim]

You are ontop a building in a city, say New Dehli, you look below and there are thousands of people walking, they look so small, basically they are dots moving around, back and forth, never ending.

An old friend walks up to you, and says there is a breakout of disease, many will die, it is inevitable. However, he has contacts who supply treatments to this city who is willing to tamper with them, so that he can sell the real treatments to a black market merchant he knows. There is zero chance any money would be traced back to you, and all you have to do is accept the money and then help divide it up later, again you will not questioned or charged, ever, as they have found a loophole that does not violate local and international laws regarding money transfers and operations of this sort.

You are reluctant, as you realize it would lead to the death of some people. You mention this, your friend says:

Come here, look over...now look at these moving dots
Would you really be that devastated for the rest of your life if one of those little dots stopped moving? What if I offered you $100,000 for every dot that stopped moving, would you start calculating how much money you could make and how many dots were insignificant and how many were too much...would you let someone else do the exact same thing and get the business, would you really tell me to keep my money?

What would you feel and say, and be honest

(BTW I know this philosophical question is stolen from a movie and several TV episodes including STS9, but its always an interesting question)

[lew]

I'm a capitalist.




I'd take the money.

[motivez]

I think questions like these are much easier in the abstract of things. Sure, that much money for a bunch of people you don't know might sound appealing. After all, you don't know them, and probably never will. What do you care?

But I think, if it were reality it would be a bit different. I don't believe I could take money knowing that the reason I was earning it was because I was preevnting people from being cured, healed, treated, etc. It wouldn't rest right on my concious at all.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by lew

I'm a capitalist.




I'd take the money.

how many stopped dots would you accept?

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

how many stopped dots would you accept?

Kill all of them.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

I said serious replies...so you'd con medicine away from an entire race of people, becoming the biggest mass murderer in history, to make a ton of money?

Let's take this one further

You had a false wall in your house, behind it, there is a library of books.

Each book is filled with the name and location of Jews with assumed names to protect themselves

You live in Poland, the Nazis are exterminated the Jews, they will pay $1,000 for every name and location of a Jew in hiding

You can make billions by just turning over the books, do you burn the books or hand them over?

Not if they were Jews. If they were Muslims like Balla though....

[ballz2wallz]

i'm not sure i understand

[lew]

To seriously answer it, no I wouldn't kill a single person. I'm of the mindset that all life is precious. (except for fucks like Hitler, Stalin, Osama, Lincoln, etc)


That's why I'm against abortion, war, etc.

So no, I wouldn't kill anyone for any amount of money.

[Ardentfrost]

I always personally do the right thing, regardless of money.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I always personally do the right thing, regardless of money.

So as he's saying those things, whats running through your head...you're really not tempted?

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

So as he's saying those things, whats running through your head...you're really not tempted?

No, I'm not easily tempted. I don't know why, that's just how I've always been

[thomez]

I don't have very high value of human life. Or money really. But money wins this time.

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by thomez

I don't have very high value of human life. Or money really. But money wins this time.

I have a high value for money, but even higher for human life.

recall that I believe firmly in capitalism and little government intervention... therefore I do not think that love of money and love of human life are mutually exclusive as liberals tend to (I'm not calling them out, I'm merely pointing out that liberals often put human life over money, and it's a noble thought, but I believe it's misguided).

The relation back to capitalism is the point of this thread I'm assuming

[Comrade Ramius]

I can honestly say I wouldn't take the money. Of course I would like to have a nice car and big house when I'm out of college, but those things are pretty far down on my priority list.

[Scrum]

I wouldn't take the money. I couldn't live with myself.

[7960]

I would only kill someone else to save my life or the lives of someone in my family. I would not kill "dots" for money.

[Comrade Ramius]

Originally Posted by 7960

I would only kill someone else to save my life or the lives of someone in my family. I would not kill "dots" for money.

That's what I was thinking. It would be a much more interesting question if it pitted the lives of all those dots vs. a life of a loved one.

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by Comrade Ramius

That's what I was thinking. It would be a much more interesting question if it pitted the lives of all those dots vs. a life of a loved one.

That'd be tough, but I would choose my loved one most likely.

[Kytro]

The money isn't really that tempting in this situation

[IminWonderland]

I don't know. I am generally pretty pro-death.....

New Delhi huh?

Those are brown people right?

I'm kidding.

I might take it, but not be able to sleep at night...in my really comfortable bed in my flippin mansion.