Quote:
Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
Well that depends on which you value more.
Do 2 lives always have greater value than 1 life?
Is a young life more valuable than an older one?
See how my example about people and rats is different than the boy vs girl, mine is about assigning value to the lives, and now you've given me an equivalent example.
So in your example, I'll take the utilitarian view of taking the action which produces the greater good, in this case saving 2 lives and I'll let the train hit the kid, because without any more info I'll assume that human lives are of equal value.
So now it's up to you.
It's 1 person vs 100 rats.
Does your "All beigns are equal" logic still hold up?
I'm going to pick the rats to die every time, because unlike person vs person choices, I can pretty easily assess which live is more valuable when it comes to people vs rats.
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ok, 1 person vs 100 rats, either way nobody wins. Do I know the person? Even though I believe every life form is equal I am still a selfish human and I admit it. If I know them then I will pick the person. What does said person contribute to society? If I felt more lives could be saved or his work benefited the planet then I would save him. If those do not apply I would let him eat train and save the rats. The rats are not going to litter, commit crimes against society and the earth. 1 rats life > then one criminal human doing nothing but burdening society. That's the way I see it and most don't agree and that's fine, everyone is entitled to an opinion.