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#1
08-29-2005, 06:35 PM
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How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
You are brought at gunpoint into a laboratory where you will be forced to choose which of two rooms will have those in it killed painlessly. If you refuse they all will be, so let's not even contemplate that option.
In one room is a very elderly person you have never met. In the other is your devoted three year old collie. Can sparing your collie be justifed by any respected philosophies? What about any respected religions? 
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#3
08-29-2005, 06:53 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
[ QUOTE ]
Can sparing your collie be justifed by any respected philosophies? [/ QUOTE ] Yes, the philosophy of one protecting what one values the most. Personally, I value my dog's life over a suprisingly large percent of human beings.
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#4
08-29-2005, 07:07 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
Change it to a cow and put a Hindu in that situation...
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#5
08-29-2005, 07:07 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Can sparing your collie be justifed by any respected philosophies? [/ QUOTE ] Yes, the philosophy of one protecting what one values the most. Personally, I value my dog's life over a suprisingly large percent of human beings. [/ QUOTE ] dead on baby.
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#6
08-29-2005, 07:10 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
Your collie is your collie, end of story.
The eldlery person could be the father of 3 or 4 people, or the grandfather of 15 people. He could have a loving wife. He could have a weekly golf outing every Sunday. He could etc etc etc. The brutally selfish and therefore immoral thing to do would be to keep your dog, and its not even close. The tricky situation would come up if it was your dog vs. a convicted rapist that you've never met. -Matt
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#7
08-29-2005, 07:20 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
"The tricky situation would come up if it was your dog vs. a convicted rapist that you've never met."
This situation seems in no way tricky....unless you hate your collie because it ate your children.
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#8
08-29-2005, 07:24 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
A collie is a possession. Granted, its a possession you can grow to love, but still a possession. Choosing to save your collie is on the same moral plane as choosing to save your Rolex.
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#9
08-29-2005, 08:07 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
If an animal is just a possesion like a rolex, why do we have laws against animal cruelty? Still, it is logical that we would value our own kind over other species, so it would be hard to justify saving the dog.
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#10
08-29-2005, 08:15 PM
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Re: How About THIS Morals -Ethics Question?
I'm having a hard time imagining an ethical approach that I could respect that would allow for saving the collie in this situation.
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