POLL: Your life versus...

Remove all ads!

Wow, I was surprised at the results of Deathmage's poll. I want to rework it.

Same premise. You and person (to be later specified) in a room. You die or the other person dies, and you get to choosing who dies. Refusing to choose results in both dead (and again, suppose there's no reasonable chance of fighting back).

And this person is...

A note: question #5 refers to someone who will make the world a better (whatever you take that to mean) place, in general. Perhaps Norman Borlaug, Fyodor Dostoevsky, or the person who could cure AIDS.

Another note: "close beliefs and ideals" refers to religion, philosophy, politics, even hobbies. Imagine a person with whom you would hit it off right away.

Final note: Since there seems to be some ambiguity for "immediate relative", instead think of a relative with whom you are most close (and thus most likely one of your immediate family).

[ April 29, 2006, 22:23: Message edited by: Oaz ]

Poll Information
This poll contains 7 question(s). 30 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Your life versus... (30 votes.)

... a friend or coworker (Choose 1)
* I die - 37% (11)
* S/he dies - 47% (14)
* Abstain - 17% (5)

... a close friend (Choose 1)
* I die - 40% (12)
* S/he dies - 37% (11)
* Abstain - 23% (7)

... a distant relative (Choose 1)
* I die - 23% (7)
* S/he dies - 53% (16)
* Abstain - 23% (7)

... an immediate relative (not your child, however) (Choose 1)
* I die - 37% (11)
* S/he dies - 27% (8)
* Abstain - 37% (11)

... someone who will become a great and beneficial world leader/artist/scientist (Choose 1)
* I die - 40% (12)
* S/he dies - 30% (9)
* Abstain - 30% (9)

... someone you just don't know (Choose 1)
* I die - 23% (7)
* S/he dies - 57% (17)
* Abstain - 20% (6)

... someone you don't know, but who has very close beliefs and ideals to yours (Choose 1)
* I die - 20% (6)
* S/he dies - 57% (17)
* Abstain - 23% (7)

 

The very same for me. Dying for another person...? I don't think so. Even though I place very little value on my life, I'm not about to sacrifice myself for someone. I am distant with the little family I have left, and friends... they're expandable. I have no close friends. Only acquintances - I appear distant, cold and aloof to most, which makes me very unpopular, something I am totally fine with. And as for someone who could change the world... what does it matter? We are marching towards our doom.

To sum it up, I guess I'm a selfish, cold-hearted jerk.

 

1, 2, 3, & 6: I die. I've already explained my reasons.
4 & 5: I had to abstain. Because it depends heavily on which specific relative it is.
7: They die, simply for a lark. How dare they copy my beliefs!?!

 

Wow, DotW, that just comes off as really affected.

 

Depends on a lot of things. Age is a key thing. If the person happens to be some old old old person, who looks like they'll only live another year if they're lucky, even if they are very close to me I would say them instead of myself.

I think what Felinoid said in Deathmage's thread holds with me as well..

But, one thing...

To be hoenst, I don't think I'd get on at all with someone so close to my beliefs, ideals, and so on. The few people I have met whose beliefs are real close, we certainly haven't got on too well. Particularly with hobbies - for example, as a rule of thumbs, from my experience, most people who are enthusiastic about hockey as I are usually complete idiots... atleast IMO. A person I would get on very well with right away needs to have different opinions, beliefs, values, etc or else I'd get bored very quickly.

 

Abstain to all, due to religious beliefs I could never choose who lives or dies. Our lives don't belong to us (so on and so forth in my beliefs).

 

Abstain to all. But I find it interesting that people are posting this type of poll.

At my age death stands very close to my door so there are some who probably think I should be willing to die. I'm realistic; the instinct for survial is a basic one and doesn't go away simply because one ages.

Also, there is no guarantee that the person doing the threatning can be believed.

I can think of circumstances where I might risk my life to save someone else but a forced choice is no choice. I do not believe in sucide.

 

One by one:

Friend or coworker: They die. Wouldn't worry too much about it.

A close friend: It would be a very tough decision, but after a while, I think they will have to bite the dust. I have no REALLY close friends anyways.

Distant relative: They die. Why? Might be because I haven't really met any of my distant relatives. They're all at China. Haven't even heard ANYTHING about them, ever. All the relatives I know are close, so they die.

Immediate relative: Abstain. I have a feeling they would die to let me live, though.

Someone who will become great: I die. My life isn't really worth anything in the long run, methinks. And so they can go on to make mankind nice and great and so on.

Random person: They die.

Someone with close beliefs and ideals: They die. Their beliefs and ideals doesn't make them any different to random person.

I'm surprised you didn't include a significant other in your poll, Oaz, I would gladly die for her, for instance.

 

Ummm.....it depends on the method of death. If it was going to be painful then I'd obviously make a different choice...

 

I abstain. The one who is holding the gun to my head just wants to play. I will not give him the satifaction.

 

This is a really absurd poll, If I voted I would abstain from all the questions, it trivialises the value of human life and I'm not religious. Are you really trying to tell me that if I don't kill the person who has the cure for AIDS both of us will die! Thus condemning the world to suffer from AIDS longer until someone reads his notes and re-creates his work, all for a meaningless test? This is like the absurd question: If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is there does it make a sound?

 

I've given abstain on "a very close friend", they die on all others. I am not particularly close with any relatives, and I'm a selfish bastard. However, of the persons that come to mind with "a very close friend", I don't know if I could handle having chosen their death over my own... So I abstained. Most likely I'd end up with bailing my own ass out anyway, but I'd feel quite bad about it.

 

They die. To all.

I'd feel bad about a close friend or some relatives, but I still believe I'd save myself in that situation.

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

There are only three unforgivable sins in Judaism, and murder is one of them. Who is one person to choose that another should die? I die, all around.

 

Yeah, right. This poll is absolutely meaningless to anyone who has NOT been in a life or death situation. The only possible exceptions are those self-centered people who voted everyone else dies -- at least they know themselves (not that I want to know them...).

I have rushed into a burning room -- without even thinking of my own safety -- to save a co-worker I did not know (and felt extremely guilty that I didn't react faster than I did). I'm really not sure what I would do in a 'you choose who dies' scenario, but I doubt I would be able to live with myself if I survived.

 

Is this to be an empathy test?

Everyone else dies except the person who will (definitely?) become a prominent figure and I end up filled with self-loathing.

If there's any uncertainty about that great benefactor of the world of not fulfilling her potential, then she dies. Her chances of making the world a better place might be as good as mine.

Of course after such a situation my chances of making the world a better place might be considerably worse, since I'd be seriously depressed about it so it actually might be better to choose dying myself.

Sorry about the lack of empathy, but it isn't only empathy that will make the world a better place. When innocent suffer, my heart does bleed, but my dying will not stop or lessen their suffering. Living up to my potential might help other people considerably.

 

Why answer at all if you chose to abstain? I dont get that. The abstain option is quite out of place imo. I voted they all die but some would probably give a bit of a bad conscience.

 

It is nice when a poll posted on a board where all members may vote has an option such as 'abstain'. I thought it was nice of Oaz.

Also, abstaining is the same as refusing to choose and therefore you both die.

 

Everyone dies because I'm a selfish bastard. When it comes to my family it would only be in the situation when someone is younger than me and since I'm 20 there are not very many people in my family younger than me.

Someone who could do a great deed? How could you possibly know? I'm not going to give my life for someone who 'could' develop the cure for AIDS.