"What if ..?"

[Sas]

Yes.

Having three kids I recognise the fact that the loss of a parent (with dependant children) would be greater than the loss of a single childless person. Sorry if that offends the childless Anyone who thinks the two deaths would be similar doesn't understand the importance of parents in a childs life.

A single childless person might have lots of time to cure cancer given they are not running around looking after any kids. For example... It's just too difficult to say who is better off being around or not.

P.S. I'm not offended. Just trying to talk about why it is impossible to determine what death would cause the greater loss. But having no father and no children (eww) perhaps I am biased about the importance of parents.

 

[AndyNZ]

Just trying to talk about why it is impossible to determine what death would cause the greater loss.

In some senses, trying to assess "worth" in this context about as futile as expecting this thread to have come to a definitive conclusion.... the fact that the OP has spawned 32 pages of discussion that boils down to..... "faaaaark, I don't really know".

 

[DaleC]

If there was a lifeboat with only one seat left and there were two people, a single person and a person with a dependant child; would you really choose the single person?

 

[Sas]

If there was a lifeboat with only one seat left and there were two people, a single person and a person with a dependant child; would you really choose the single person?

I could not choose one over the other. I couldn't say who I would pick, but it wouldn't be based on whether or not they had a dependent child.

 

[DaleC]

I would have no problem choosing.

Another scenario: You are walking with a small child in the woods and are set upon by a predatory bear. You know if you abandon the child you will probably live as the bear will stop to eat the child. If you stay the bear will probably eat you. Would you be rationale and abandon the child or be irrational and stay?
BTW, that was one scenario I had to carefully consider as a scout leader.

 

[DaleC]

double post

 

[AndyNZ]

If there was a lifeboat with only one seat left and there were two people, a single person and a person with a dependant child; would you really choose the single person?

Depends.

Say, for the sake of argument, that the single person was destined to lead the revolt against the machine revolution and then create a time machine to go back to become your father.... then by choosing to save the person with a dependant child you are essentially negating your own existence...

I'm being flippant, and ignoring all paradox, but there is no answer to that question. As a parent-to-be, I can understand why many people would say to let the single person die.

But what if that single person was my sister, and the person with the dependant child was a known paedophile with criminal conviction for such?

 

[Doc Harry]

This is from the "Funniest things you ever heard" scuba thread, I thought it would be appropriate for some of the people here on this thread:

From an Instabuddy, when asked about the location of his octopus reg:
"Why would I spend $200 on a regulator for you?"

Sounds like some of you need to buddy up with this guy.

 

[Sas]

Depends.

Say, for the sake of argument, that the single person was destined to lead the revolt against the machine revolution and then create a time machine to go back to become your father.... then by choosing to save the person with a dependant child you are essentially negating your own existence...

I'm being flippant, and ignoring all paradox, but there is no answer to that question. As a parent-to-be, I can understand why many people would say to let the single person die.

But what if that single person was my sister, and the person with the dependant child was a known paedophile with criminal conviction for such?

Yea I agree, there is no answer. If my father had died before I was born I probably would have had a much happier childhood, for example. (I'm not saying I wish he was dead, but just that without him being around a lot of negative stuff wouldn't have happened to me, but then again my mother might have ended up with someone worse ) Saving a parent is not necessarily going to be better than saving a single person. Or vice versa.

It's like how I really don't get the 'save women and children' first mentality, myself. I'd be annoyed if I was an adult male on a sinking ship and had to give up my seat on a lifeboat to someone else just because they were young, or had two X chromosomes instead of one.

 

[Sas]

This is from the "Funniest things you ever heard" scuba thread, I thought it would be appropriate for some of the people here on this thread:

From an Instabuddy, when asked about the location of his octopus reg:
"Why would I spend $200 on a regulator for you?"

Sounds like some of you need to buddy up with this guy.

Oh please. You clearly do not grasp the subtlety of a lot of this discussion if that is what you think is relevant to people here.

I would ditch all of my scuba gear to save someone, even if I hated them.*

Edit: *well everything but my share of the gas I need to get out of there