Political Crossfire Forums

[Raskolnikov]

Quote: Hmm, okay then. I read my post and still don't see why. I guess acting in your best self-interest is a horrible thing.

oh my... um.. i told you to read my post, and then yours. you see, you didn't actually respond.. er. this is useless...

[bigstick61]

If you can get the person out, chances are you'll live. However, there is no way of knowing what will happen. You won't know beforehand if you live or die.

[Fido]

The Comrade wrote: demosthenes8907 wrote: What would you do? Please post a reply as to why if you decide to vote.




i'm sorry but i will not sacrifice myself to save another life.

selfish you may say?


that may be so. but my own life is worth more to me then someone elses.

One seldom trades a life even up for anothers. Rather, one may gamble on being heroic, being successful, and being human in a sense of a human they can look in the mirror and be proud of. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price, and neither save a life, nor keep their own.

We have a responsibility toward our neighbors and fellow citizen, just as to our families and community in former days because whether our society is working as it should, or not, what our nation should be is what a nation once was, and that is a single people growing from a common root.
We cannot get back to the natural meaning of nation. We must make what we have, the nation of humanity, be what a nation of family once was because we have no other choice.

It is such a small step from seeing your neighbor victimized by crime, injustice, or natural disaster and doing nothing -to personally victimizing him. We are our brother keepers, and not to keep him from hurting himself, but to keep brother from hurting brother. This is not only the defense of him, but of all. To do otherwise is to offer your consent to the wrongs and incidental injuries of life. It is anti soicetal, and anti national.

[political scientist]

If it is clearly impossible to save the person, and we would both die, I wouldn't attempt it. If it is possible for me to save that person, yes, I would sacrifice my own life for theirs.
My hope would be that the person I saved would take something from the incident. i would hope they turn around and do everything they can to help the good of society. I personally believe that we as people must do the best we can to help others and do our small parts to save the world. if everyone did their part, our society might have a glimmer of hope.

~Political Scientist

[NovaPacifica]

I voted: Save the person in the building and die.

Why? Well I voted that since if I was near a house that was burning it would be probably someone who I really care about (aka. girlfriend) or it be my family or relatives. If it was a neighbor ... idk ... depends on the moment I mean you got to have a lot of guts to do so.

[Raskolnikov]

Quote: If you can get the person out, chances are you'll live. However, there is no way of knowing what will happen. You won't know beforehand if you live or die.

but the question is so clearly 'would you sacrifice your life for another?' changing the scenario is just avoiding the question. answer the question!

"yes, if i were superman i would save the day!" ..good for you.

[curisz]

OK, according to the OP, I have no way of knowing who the dying person is, and it is 100% certain if I make the attempt that they will live and I will die. In other words its a straight up trade, my life for an anonymous stranger.

In that case, it would depend on where I was in life. Right now, no way. I have a baby to take care of, and sacrificing my life would be harmful to her. She is THE number one most important thing to me, and I firmly believe she will grow up to do fantastic things and be a huge blessing to the world. However, if I was sick, or old, or depressed, or even just unattached and not doing anything very important with my life, then I probably would. There are more good people in the world than bad, despite it all, and being the recipient of such a sacrifice would nudge that person towards even more good. If odds are that my life is less meaningful than whoever might be in there, then its a go.

[DevilMan]

This question is a little general. I would sacrifice myself if I was close to the person in the building, but if its a stranger I have no choice than to assume I'm more valuable. Cold but true. Faced with such a scenario few people are heroes.

[LostSoul3412]

Self-interest always, always, always comes first.

[Casualtie]

i don't think i would, because i don't want to ruin the lives of my family by sacrificing myself for a complete stranger. i think that would be unfair to my family. i feel bad saying that because, on the flip side, that person's family would feel the same way as mine, but it really be like choosing the lesser of two evils, relative to myself. i didn't want to vote because i'm not really sure.

[Deus]

Sacrifise, probably not, unless there happened to be an greaters achivement, and it would be uncretain.

would i RISK my life however, hell yes.

[Atlas Bergeron]

bigstick61 wrote: The greatest thing you can do for someone else is to lay down your life to save theirs. To watch someone, even a stranger, die before my eyes when I could have done something about it would eat away at me for the rest of my life; I would not be able to live with myself. exactly, so wouldn't you want to give such worth to something you know is valuable?

[DevilMan]

I'd much rather be a live coward then a dead hero.

[Snake]

hell no, I'm much too average to die

[Fido]

Here is a story for you...
I knew this guy once, and he seemed quite normal, and not exactly a section eight or anything, older, c and w. But later everyone else told me this guy spent a lot of time after Vietnam carrying a doll, a big boy doll, that he named Corky. And every where that he went the doll was not far behind. The guy was a smoker, and one night he accidentally set his house on fire, and he got out about the time the fire fighters showed up. Well they asked: Is anyone in there? He suddenly found he had bailed out and left Corky to his fate. He told the fire man: Corky's in there, on the couch! So the guy runs in and came out after a few and said I couldn't find anyone, but I did find this doll. The Vet grabbed his doll, and said: that's corky! Thank you for saving him!
I guess the fire men were some kind of pissed off at him. But what are you going to do? A man and his doll can get through a lot together that neither can get through alone.

[thehollowman]

I would rather save someone than watch them die. Even if in the process I die, isn't that something worth while though?

[The Comrade]

thehollowman wrote: I would rather save someone than watch them die. Even if in the process I die, isn't that something worth while though?

a life for a life, or a life for a life is an equal exchange.

[Katsumoto]

My first responsibility is to my family (children) and myself. However, if I thought there was a good chance of saving a person and also living I would do it, but if it looked as though I would likely die in the attempt I would not.

[brian_in_idaho]

I'm a volunteer fireman so I have had to ask myself that question, but never been in a position where someone elses life was in jeopardy yet. If there was somehow a clear choice between someone elses life an mine, I choose mine, every time. However, few real scenarios are that simple. The more likely scenario is can you save someone elses life at some reasonable risk to yourself. For a firefighter, the training, equipment and support of your fellow firefighters tips the odds in your favor more often than it otherwise would. However, firefighter training specifically places priorities on 1) your life 2) fellow rescuers 3) other people 4) property.

[Otacon]

Doesn't matter who it is, they die and I live. I'm more important than they are.