Would you save 10 million people?

[Tennenbaum]

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that is what i was talking about when i said logically none of the arguments against me have made any sense.

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I don't think it has anything to do with logic so much as personal opinion.

But god forbid anyone try to argue w/ your infallible logic.

[Anacardo]

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that is what i was talking about when i said logically none of the arguments against me have made any sense.

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Sure they do. Yours are based on the assumption that your life is all you have, all you could ever possibly have, and that it is therefore of essentially infinite or near-infinite value, as far as you are concerned. Your opinions therefore make perfect sense, according to straightforward logic, but your postulate is not chosen for any particularly logical reason, any more than mine or anyone else's is.

Tennenbaum is right in that this quickly breaks down into a non-logical argument, depending heavily on one's values and assumptions about life, which are chosen for reasons of culture, upbringing, life experience and mystical, arational motives. Perhaps a better theologian / metaphysicist than me could turn one side or another into a purely logical argument, but I certainly can't.

I'm intrigued by the comment an earlier poster said about giving away all of one's money, which at first glance doesn't hold water, but I find it difficult to articulate why, or why the notion of giving up one's life 'feels' so much more correct than giving up one's fortune. I will say what personal experience has taught me: if one is going to make oneself a martyr, it's best to choose a form of martyrdom where one doesn't have to live through the consequences.

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I don't think it has anything to do with logic so much as personal opinion.

But god forbid anyone try to argue w/ your infallible logic.

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Oh, hiss, kitty. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

BTW: Having this discussion with Audrey Tautou seems reasonable enough, but including the slutty-looking Asian girl is kind of a mind-bender.

Rollin' with the fools One Time can't beat,

T. d A. y C.

[daryn]

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Sure they do. Yours are based on the assumption that your life is all you have, all you could ever possibly have, and that it is therefore of essentially infinite or near-infinite value, as far as you are concerned.

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i thought i should stop you right here, because... well, you're dead wrong.

[Anacardo]

Then what? What is your position. You cannot seem to articulate it, but you can certainly seem to dis everybody who wants to counter it just out of hand. If that assumption isn't valid, and it would certainly appear to be, then explain why it isn't, and what your assumptions really are.

[HP]

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I'm intrigued by the comment an earlier poster said about giving away all of one's money, which at first glance doesn't hold water, but I find it difficult to articulate why, or why the notion of giving up one's life 'feels' so much more correct than giving up one's fortune.

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Yes, I'm still waiting for some one to explain to me why it's ok for us to enjoy all of our luxuries while people are stuck in horrible situations elsewhere in the world. There are plenty of charities out there that 'teach a man to fish' so to speak, not just prolong death.

If you are ok with that, fine, no need to argue in this thread. But I don't think you can also logically hold the opinion that you should die to save 10 random lives, for example

[daryn]

dude it's simple, i just fail to see the reason to end my own life to save the lives of 10 million people i don't know and will probably never come in contact with.

why should THOSE 10,000 people be any more or less important to me than say 10,000 ants, or 10,000 dogs, or 10,000 aliens that live light years away?

also an important point raised by ray zee is what if the world is better off without these people (presumably due to overpopulation issues).. wouldn't you then be doing a disservice to the rest of the world by sacrificing yourself to save them?

also, if you are so willing to sacrifice your life to save these people, why don't you leave home right now, head to africa and devote your life to working with and healing poor folks in africa, or at the very least why don't you liquidate your whole net worth and donate it?

[george w]

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also, if you are so willing to sacrifice your life to save these people, why don't you leave home right now, head to africa and devote your life to working with and healing poor folks in africa, or at the very least why don't you liquidate your whole net worth and donate it?

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it wouldn't be anywhere near as effective. random people with compassionate attitudes, while good, aren't what africa needs. liquidating your whole net would do more good for you than anyone else unless you are really old and rich.

[HP]

I was sort of agreeing with you here. This is a separate argument. I was trying to say that anyone who was saying you were 'wrong' or 'immoral' is probably so themselves for the reason you stated at the end of your post

Anyway, the reason why I happen to think it's wrong is simply because I feel bad when other humans feel bad. Compassion. If you aren't like that, like I said, fine.

And I do plan to dedicate my life to the poor folks in Africa. Obv though I still spend more money on myself than needed, and I think that's wrong

But yeah, I'd like to hear what other people say who think it's wrong to let say 100 randos die so you can live

[ScottyP431]

Daryn,

I think this question is stupid, and don't really have an opinion either way, but wanted to comment on your posts.

You seem relatively smart, so I can only assume you are being purposefully obtuse here. The "reason" to give up your life is simple utilitarianism, the greatest good for the greatest number. It's really not that complicated, you should be able to rap your mind around it. Whether you know the people or not would not be a factor in that system of decision making. It has a clear set of logical rules.

If you have no regard for people you don't know, why don't you kill many of them for profit? The flip side of your " go to africa and help people" question is, if you don't care, why don't you kill/exploit others for your own gain.

Also, this has nothing to do with the original question of A or B. Your attempt to change the subject is a weak attempt to distract people from your inability to defend your position.

The flipside of ray zee's point is, maybe the world would be better off without you.

[HP]

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also, if you are so willing to sacrifice your life to save these people, why don't you leave home right now, head to africa and devote your life to working with and healing poor folks in africa, or at the very least why don't you liquidate your whole net worth and donate it?

[/ QUOTE ]

it wouldn't be anywhere near as effective. random people with compassionate attitudes, while good, aren't what africa needs. liquidating your whole net would do more good for you than anyone else unless you are really old and rich.

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define 'effective'. Also, tell us why you are knowledgeable on the subject of charity work in Africa