ForumsWEPR[necro]Ethics: Your choice

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DDX
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DDX
3,562 posts
Nomad

This will be an ethical question thread, that will relate mainly to religious beliefs and ethics. Hopefully it will be a good idea and people will want to play.

Each week I will present a topic, and you may discuss it, and bring your morality into the question.

This week:
soldiers have come to search your house! They will kill you and eat you if they find you. You are hiding in the closet farther away from the door than your friend who is hiding underneath a sofa. The people eating soldiers stop in front of the sofa, and start bending over slowly to see if there is anyone underneath it. You see this through the crack in the door. You have 2 choices to jump out, scream and run out the door to save your bestest friend in the whole world, or you can watch them drag him away.

basically would you save yourself? or would you save your friend.

  • 340 Replies
nonconformist
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nonconformist
1,101 posts
Nomad

like wat if he's just PMS'ing... (sarcasticccc)

DDX
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DDX
3,562 posts
Nomad

First off I would like to thank everyone in the continued avid debating in my thread, I appreciate it greatly.

In ethics, the plank of Carneades is a thought experiment first proposed by Carneades of Cyrene; it explores the concept of self-defense in relation to murder.

In the thought experiment, there are two shipwrecked sailors, Joseph and Tyler. They both see a plank that can only support one of them and both of them swim towards it. Joseph gets to the plank first. Tyler, who is going to drown, pushes Joseph off and away from the plank and, thus, ultimately, causes Joseph to drown. Tyler gets on the plank and is later saved by a rescue team. The thought experiment poses the question of whether Tyler can be tried for murder because if Tyler had to kill Joseph in order to live, then it would arguably be in self-defense. What are you thoughts on this? is it self defense? Senseless murder? Survival of the fittest?

(searched for on Google, read about it in a psych experiment)

Arr mateys! new question hopefully on Monday!

Pixie214
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Pixie214
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Peasant

I think possible survival of the fittest though he didn't get too the plank first (ok he might have been further away but whatever...). I think although if Joe had kept the plank leaving Tyler to die he wasn't foing it visciously , it wasn't an attack so self defense is out and I don;t think it was senseless doing anything to stay alive is very good sense. Anyway it doesn't look like their were any witnesses.

DDX
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DDX
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Nomad

If you were Tyler what would you have done? If you chose to kill Joseph would you feel any guilt?

Anyway it doesn't look like their were any witnesses.


Indeed there are none, that is what makes this decision so hard ethically. It might not be such a hard decision if one were looking after themselves.
Pixie214
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Pixie214
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Peasant

I would most likely have pushed him off and reasoned with myself afterwards that it was either that or death and it was survival instincts that made me do it rather than it being a fully conscious decision to try and ignore the guilt.

goumas13
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goumas13
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Grand Duke

It is self defense, he had to kill him to survive and have a chance to be rescued. He had no other choice, if he wanted not to die.

DDX
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DDX
3,562 posts
Nomad

Would anyone let themselves die? instead of letting others die?

Kyouzou
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Kyouzou
5,062 posts
Jester

It's like survival of the fittest, yet the other guy was caught unawares and as such had no chance to defend himself. My biggest worry would be my conscience, would I be able to live the fact that I was the reason for another's death?

EpicGuy
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EpicGuy
90 posts
Nomad

Survival of the fittest.

Which, this should be the only law that governs man. I am
%100 opposed to the society we have created.

thisisnotanalt
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thisisnotanalt
9,824 posts
Shepherd

Survival of the fittest.


Hey, thanks for thinking I should die.

Survival of the fittest. . .just no.
caucasiafro
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caucasiafro
338 posts
Nomad

Survival of the fittest.
Which, this should be the only law that governs man. I am
%100 opposed to the society we have created.


So that you prully mean we wouldnt have computers because the people who invented them were a bunch of nerds who would have died because they cant fend for themselves.
And you, as a person who is in fact using a computer and partaking in our society (which you are 100% opposed to) are one big motherfucking hypocrite.
Austin18
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Austin18
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Nomad

Personally, I would regret it for the rest of my life but I would save myself... I mean what if you are still young.. You don't want to risk the rest of your life do you? Anyway, hopefully they wouldn't come back after they found my friend... I know the right thing to do would to be to save my friend but I wouldn't have enough courage to do so.. I would probably end up making a noise and end up getting killed myself. -.-

caucasiafro
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caucasiafro
338 posts
Nomad

thats a bit severe, we're all hypocrites for saying people are hypocrites
XD
I'll let u think that through.



Never said I wasnt a hyprocrite. :P

Its been thunked through
nonconformist
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nonconformist
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Nomad

well think about it this way... If you were trapped in a room and only one person could get out, and there was another person in there with you. Would you gladly let him out, or would you fight to keep urself alive? I would try my hardest to stay alive. If this meant killing someone in front of me for my own safety, I prob would do it.. Its a very selfish way to think, but I love life, and i'd rather not lose it. They wouldn't try him for murder if it was based on his survival, and therefore they shouldn't.

steevo15
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steevo15
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Peasant

Well, first of all, I honestly doubt the man would be tried in the first place, considering the mayhem going on during a ship wreck, even more during two, there wouldn't be any dependable witnesses - no evidence that the "crime" occurred.

But for arguments sake, I would say that it was self defence for pushing the man off of the plank. As others have previously said: survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest is not justified in all situations, but in this one it is.

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