Save the human or other animal?

[Kilgore Trout]

Heh-Ok good for you sir

Good for me and all those I take responsibility for. My loyalties are clearly defined, moral, and rational. Unless you have some kind of point which attempts to counter this? I'm still trying to figure out whether you're arguing against my position or not.

 

[Vendetta]

Good for me and all those I take responsibility for. My loyalties are clearly defined, moral, and rational. Unless you have some kind of point which attempts to counter this? I'm still trying to figure out whether you're arguing against my position or not.

Not arguing just inquiring. However you feel is how you.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

However you feel is how you.

Indeed, likewise.

 

[Alex_G]

If your driving down the road and you will end up hitting either a human or a wild wolf which would you instinctively avoid? I might try and avoid the human probably cause it naturally takes priority but I don't know. I really like wolves. :/

Interesting way of wording the question, as i would say that i'd 'instinctively' try and avoid both, and in the heat of panic, in the suddenness of the moment, just prior to an immediate collision, most of my reasoning skills wont be fully engaged, and i would anticipate that my response to either party in front of me to be very similar if not the same.

Some scenario demanding a calculated decision from me as to which will die, the wolf or the human, well one could employ some utilitarian reasoning and likely decide that it would be more unfortunate for the human to loose his life.
Maybe you wake up on a runaway trolley car, no idea how you got there, but before anything you see ahead a human tied to the tracks. The track splits off beforehand, taking another path towards a wolf thats tied down on that track. You have the knowledge that you can pull a lever on the trolley car and essentially choose which path in the fork ahead you will take. No other means of hindering the advance of the trolley car seems possible. You can see and understand that a collision will be fatal. What do you do?

The human i think would take priority, as one must assume them to be equal in value of existence, potential and rights to yourself, and thus dealt with in terms of preservation that echo the manner one would regard themselves. The wolf, with all of its own value in existence, somehow more distanced from you, and thus less knowable, the tendency would be to save what you know, as it will be what you can best calculate an estimation of value for, and what you will in fact calculate to be of more value. A biased position, but unavoidable really.

To note, such an example regards a decision of consequenceo loss mainly, as the pain/quality of such a death would likely be similar for both wolf and human, and wont be significant in the deliberation of how to proceed.

Alex

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Also, I try to answer these overly simplistic, hypothetical scenarios in the spirit they are asked, but in reality, I don't view things as either/or - I would always try to use my skills, capabilities, and wit to bring about a no-lose situation.

 

[Adramelek]

I would avoid the human and hit the other animal so I could also avoid lawsuits, jail time, and to avoid the next ten years of my life with red tape, total chaos, possible financial ruin, jail time, the chaos of the American legal system, and to avoid the termoil of the grieving family of the human victim, and societal redicule. To me it would be a no brainer. This is a very strange thread, if I may say so.

 

[idav]

I would avoid the human and hit the other animal so I could also avoid lawsuits, jail time, and to avoid the next ten years of my life with red tape, total chaos, possible financial ruin, jail time, the chaos of the American legal system, and to avoid the termoil of the grieving family of the human victim, and societal redicule. To me it would be a no brainer.

Very good point. I'm wondering what the jail time is for involuntarily killing an endangered species. I heard a story about a dude that killed an endangered bear that was attacking him and he still got the book thrown at him. I probably would rather just deal with those bleeding heart tree huggers than all that other stuff you mentioned.

 

[Adramelek]

Hey Idav,

I really doubt that any law enforcement agency would throw the book at anyone who encountered a situation in which he would have to make the split second decision of killing an endangered north american tree squiral in order to avoid killing a human being. At least I hope I am right in my analysis.

/Adramelek\

 

[Vendetta]

Everyone needs to stop saying jail time. If you know law, its only a felony if you drive away KNOWING YOU HIT SOMEONE

 

[The Sum of Awe]

It would depend if either of them have illnesses, etc. Whichever one is weaker is going to die, and I don't value humans over animals, not animals over humans, they are equal.

So if they are both perfectly fine, I'd kill the human, it has a better chance of living.

 

[Otherright]

If your driving down the road and you will end up hitting either a human or a wild wolf which would you instinctively avoid? I might try and avoid the human probably cause it naturally takes priority but I don't know. I really like wolves. :/

The key word in your phrasing is instinctively. Instinctively, I'd dodge the human. Why? I'm human. Same form. Familial bias. If given a moment to realize what is happening, I'd try my best to avoid both. But instinctively, I hit the wolf, because I haven't had a split second to reason.

 

[Viker]

If your driving down the road and you will end up hitting either a human or a wild wolf which would you instinctively avoid? I might try and avoid the human probably cause it naturally takes priority but I don't know. I really like wolves. :/

I'm sure I would instinctively avoid the human. But damn, it would really really suck hitting the wolf. What if the human was an escaped child rapist? Oh, the regrets that could come. And like you, I really don't know. :/

 

[Me Myself]

If your driving down the road and you will end up hitting either a human or a wild wolf which would you instinctively avoid? I might try and avoid the human probably cause it naturally takes priority but I don't know. I really like wolves. :/

It depends, is the human Flanders?

If he were, I would hit the wolf. But only after watching it eat Flanders

 

[Valjean]

Tricky....
Hit the human and you're charged with vehicular manslaughter, but you've taken out an environmental hazard.
Hit the wolf and you avoid charges, but you've taken out a key environmental component.

 

[idav]

Decisions, decisions. When harm can't be avoided just gotta choose the less harmful course.

 

[Straw Dog]

Good question. I'd probably hit the wolf because of human bias and they're both strangers. A tougher decision would be between a random hobo and my own dog. In a split-second decision, I'd probably swerve away from my dog because I have an emotional attachment.

 

[BSM1]

I would use "avoiding the human in the road" as an excuse to drive back home (no matter the distance) and running over my wife's stupid dog.