My dog means far more to me than someone who I've never met.
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But is that a valid justification?
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Yes, it is.
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Yes. I don't care about other people. I care about my dog.
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That isn't what I asked...
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[quote]Is that a valid justification?[/quote] [quote]Yes.[/quote] Seems valid to me. Are you arguing for the sake of arguing or do you actually have a point?
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Edited by Frasier Crane: 8/5/2014 12:20:28 AMIt's a justification, but certainly not a valid one.
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Validity is subjective. You still haven't answered [i]my [/i]question.
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Edited by Frasier Crane: 8/5/2014 12:40:31 AM[quote]Validity is subjective.[/quote]Not in this context. Either it is rational (valid) or irrational (invalid). [quote]You still haven't answered [i]my [/i]question.[/quote]Well, I posed a question first and you have yet to answer it sufficiently. But no, I am not arguing for arguments' sake and my point is that saving your pet just because it means more to you is an irrational (invalid) way to come to a decision in a situation like this.
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wat So basically, you're trying to say your subjectiveness is objective? Go back to garning, logfish.
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That post made no sense and I suspect was a fallacious attempt to discredit my argument without actually having to present one of your own.
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Blah blah blah....he has a valid point...for all he knows the random stranger could be a evil mass murderer. His dog on the other hand is not. Its simple. Stop trying to come off as smart ass.
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Ha. [quote]for all he knows the random stranger could be a evil mass murderer.[/quote]Irrational attempt to justify saving the dog. The chances of the stranger being a mass murderer are incredibly slim. [quote]Stop trying to come off as smart[/quote]Not trying. I guess it comes naturally.
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But there's always a slight chance. That's validation enough for me. Still its a matter of subjectivity. Not validation. Who cares what he chooses. Its his choice alone.
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Edited by Raw Sugar: 8/5/2014 2:23:51 AMWell there's also a slight chance that you could be the stranger. So you're dead now. K? Is- is that cool? We're good? Alright. (:
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Lol jokes on you!! I can swim!
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Did you miss this?
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Edited by Frasier Crane: 8/5/2014 1:19:47 AM[quote]But there's always a slight chance. That's validation enough for me.[/quote]No, because there's a greater chance he is [i]not[/i] a murderer and actually a productive member of society. [quote]Still its a matter of subjectivity. Not validation.[/quote]Validity and validation are two different things. I'm talking about validity. And no, we can cut through the subjectivity by determining what is the logical choice. [quote]Who cares what he chooses. Its his choice alone.[/quote]I suppose his line of thinking can have real-world repercussions. But this is a thought experiment, so naturally I'm going to think about it.
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[quote]Validity and validation are two different things. I'm talking about validity. And no, we can cut through the subjectivity by determining what is the logical choice.[/quote] Ah, no. Humans are not cold, emotionless robots. If my dog is drowning, and some other nameless asshole is drowning right next to him, I will save my dog, because I have no emotional connection to the other guy. He might as well be a nonfactor.
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Yes, and that is letting your emotions override logic. Which isn't rational.
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Um, okay. Rationality has next to nothing to do with it, but whatever.
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It has everything to do with making the ethical choice, yes.
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Yes, well, fortunately for humanity at large, we make decisions based on both logic [i]and[/i] emotion. One is not better than the other. Fact is, humans were never [i]meant[/i] to be purely logical creatures; you're thinking of machines. If it's a choice between the emotional part of my brain telling me to save the pet that's given me happiness, companionship, and all that sappy shit, and the logical part of my brain telling me to save some guy I don't know because he might somehow benefit society, the emotional part will win out. That's not the logical response, that's the [i]human[/i] response.
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[quote]One is not better than the other.[/quote]That's sentimental nonsense. There are many great things about emotions, but when they cloud judgement there is no doubt that they are undesirable. And in this scenario, they are clouding judgement. [quote]Fact is, humans were never [i]meant[/i] to be purely logical creatures; you're thinking of machines.[/quote]I never said that. I said we need to disregard emotion and use logic when faced with ethical dilemmas. [quote]If it's a choice between the emotional part of my brain telling me to save the pet that's given me happiness, companionship, and all that sappy shit, and the logical part of my brain telling me to save some guy I don't know because he might somehow benefit society, the emotional part will win out. That's not the logical response, that's the [i]human[/i] response.[/quote] Yes, people always try to justify their actions by saying "it's only human". I don't find that acceptable at all. We can acknowledge that certain human attributes are undesirable and make a conscious effort to overcome them.
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[quote]That's sentimental nonsense. There are many great things about emotions, but when they cloud judgement there is no doubt that they are undesirable. And in this scenario, they are clouding judgement.[/quote] No, they are not. You have an emotional attachment to your pet, and no attachment at all to the guy. If you can save him too, go ahead. If you can't, odds are you'll gravitate toward the one that has personal significance. It isn't wrong. It's human nature. [quote]I never said that. I said we need to disregard emotion and use logic when faced with ethical dilemmas.[/quote] It's also an emotional dilemma, though. The logical response would be to save the human, the emotional response would be to save the pet. In high-stress situations, people will reflexively go for the emotional response. It's instinctive. Again, human nature. [quote]Yes, people always try to justify their actions by saying "it's only human".[/quote] And you're trying to justify your opinion by saying 'it's only rational'. [quote]I don't find that acceptable at all.[/quote] You don't have to. [quote]We can acknowledge that certain human attributes are undesirable and make a conscious effort to overcome them.[/quote] Saving your beloved pet's life in place of a stranger's is not an undesirable attribute. You can only save one, odds are it'll be the one you actually care about.
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Edited by Frasier Crane: 8/5/2014 7:15:36 AM[quote]It isn't wrong. It's human nature.[/quote]I already addressed this. Your statement is a fallacy because you're brazenly implying that every aspect of "human nature" is automatically right. Obviously, that is absurd. [quote]It's also an emotional dilemma, though. The logical response would be to save the human, the emotional response would be to save the pet. In high-stress situations, people will reflexively go for the emotional response. It's instinctive. Again, human nature.[/quote]I never said anything about it being a logical dilemma or an emotional one. I said it was an [i]ethical[/i] dilemma, and therefore must be assessed rationally, not emotionally, to reach the correct decision. [quote]And you're trying to justify your opinion by saying 'it's only rational'.[/quote]...Yes, because either something makes sense ( rational ), or it doesn't ( irrational ). Please don't try these silly rhetorical games with me. [quote]Saving your beloved pet's life in place of a stranger's is not an undesirable attribute. You can only save one, odds are it'll be the one you actually care about.[/quote] Again, that is empty rhetoric. You're placing irrational value in [i]your[/i] interests and devaluing the interests of others (namely, the stranger and their loved ones who will almost certainly accumulate a greater amount of suffering from their death than you would solely from losing your dog. ) If you think choosing an overall greater amount of suffering instead of a smaller amount is a [i]desirable[/i] human attribute, then I have little else to say.