If one innocent person is tortured so that everyone else can live and the world doesn't end, is that simultaneously unfair but also morally preferable over complete destruction of everything?
If one innocent person is tortured so that everyone else can live and the world doesn't end, is that simultaneously unfair but also morally preferable over complete destruction of everything?
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Nope. That's a world that's not worth saving.
Is it really though? Injustices happen all the time here. I want to agree with you but I'm struggling to come up with good justifications for it. Can you explain your thinking a little bit?
So everyone including the innocent just ends?
Because regardless of the choice. Innocent people will die.
It's how quickly you want that to happen I think is what we're going after.
Is this voluntary? Is it random? Is the person truly innocent? Is this person known or will be remembered? Is it a child? Is the world aware?
I have a ton of questions that lean onto the "slow" side of things.
But I think it's too easy to say "nope, just end it".
It's a fumbly one, eh?
I agree that in an existence with that decision on the line, we would have to question many things.
Does someone innocent have to die, or is someone lying about the rules of the decision to save themselves? Would people who expect to kill this person be willing to offer same thing themselves? If not, why can they really decide for someone else? Is the death actually necessary, and how? Will new religions form from this?
What happens if it fails? Will that person just be dead for no reason? Will their loved ones be cared for? Who would even qualify?
100%
There's absolutely ground to wriggle on here. Maybe let's try to make up a society where this is okay.
I would like to assume in this "perfectly ok to do this society" that the choice is fully open and known to all. As in all people in the society are subject to it. Like a complete random draw.
But then what about innocent people? I would define an innocent as a person who is sinless or hasn't broken the law. Maybe if you try to do something evil you're pardoned from this choice? That doesn't seem right because everyone would do the least minor thing to be considered evil. And children or the neuro diverse might be left out on a huge disadvantage because how would they know what to do to be considered skippable.
Maybe it's an external force working to destroy the planet. Someone has to be killed to stop it. So maybe innocent could just mean has no power over the process, no ability to affect it, no way to be skipped. If it's seen that way, I would be kind of satisfied.
How often does this happen? Once a year? A decade? Every day? Eesh what a thought. What would society be like knowing that you might be randomly chosen to just end on a daily basis. It'd be like winning the anti-lottery.
If someone was chosen, in my model, they would be made known to the planet a while ahead of time, maybe 24 hours. And they would be given a huge life altering sum of money to do with however they please prior to being un-alived. Give it to their family, a charity, whatever.
Their name would be known as a hero of some sort, even if unwillingly so.
The death/torture can't be painless, as the hypothetical implies so maybe there can be like a time limit here? Is this a long time torture thing? That sounds horrible.
Right now, if really feels like I'm trying to make my least favorite thing slightly palatable somehow.
Is this voluntary? Is it random? Is the person truly innocent? Is this person known or will be remembered? Is it a child? Is the world aware?
I just picture Cabin in the Woods.
Great movie, BTW. What a concept!
Which side did you fall onto, the people keeping the evil at bay, or the ones fighting to live even if it meant the end of the world?
I fell on the side of fighting to live and Marty was the best.