The Choice

[freewilly]

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you do?

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you?

Use it to make more.

 

[Jetgirl]

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you?

Use it to make more.

 

[psychedelicist]

With any luck once it is used to cure my son/daughter it will at least be observable how it worked, if we take him/her to somewhere that they could observe that kind of thing.

But seriously, I know I'm gona get blasted so bad for this, but while my emotions are telling me to give it to my kid, I know the right thing for me to do is use it to save the rest of humanity. It's a real kirk/spock moment- emotions, or reason.

 

[freewilly]

Do you two have children?

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

Do you two have children?

Nope.

 

[Jetgirl]

No. Which I'm sure at some point will come back to the old "since you don't have children you haven't the faintest inkling what it would be like to lose a child so your argument is invalid" agument.

So I mentally substitued the person I care most about in place of "child".

Would still use it to make more.

 

[StormeTorque]

I don't have children, but if substituted for my parents or anyone close to me, I would have to talk to them to see what they said. I would want to save those close to me, but if my parent etc, after discussion, wanted me to save others, I would. It would be painful for me, but would lessen the pain of other people.

 

[Nightson]

I should, but knowing me I'd give it to my kid.

 

[benjdm]

I think I would use it to make more. Then, after my daughter died, I might commit suicide; I would definitely be a wreck.

 

[FSTDT]

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you do?

Its a very romantic ideal to want to cure your own child, but there are unfortunate pragmatic limits to this idealism. In this case, its a matter of utilitarianism, because all lives have equal worth you are compelled by moral interests to value saving as many lives as you possibly can - so, you choose to create antidotes for the countless others.

 

[freewilly]

Its a very romantic ideal to want to cure your own child, but there are unfortunate pragmatic limits to this idealism. In this case, its a matter of utilitarianism, because all lives have equal worth you are compelled by moral interests to value saving as many lives as you possibly can - so, you choose to create antidotes for the countless others.

I disagree that all lives have equal worth. I agree in the intellectual abstract of discussing human value but on an emotional level I do not. I make no bones about saying my children's lives, my family are worth more to me than yours. That is of course an emotional response. I think it would be very difficult for most parents to just allow their child to die even if it was for the greater good. As we can see one person said they might even commit suicide.

 

[Cian]

I would choose to save the rest of those suffering from AIDS and allow the sample to be created into countless others. Though I admit that I would suffer from guilt for the rest of my life for allowing my child to die; but it is all for the greater good.

 

[Gardenia]

Id like to say id use it to make more.. but who knows what would really happen if I were in that situation..

 

[""]

No. Which I'm sure at some point will come back to the old "since you don't have children you haven't the faintest inkling what it would be like to lose a child so your argument is invalid" agument.

So I mentally substitued the person I care most about in place of "child".

Would still use it to make more.

I think you'll have a much better idea of the sacrifice you'll be making, after you do have a child but I agree with you, to a point. Also, it isn't right for people with children to criticize your choice. You don't become a more important person simply because you have a child, but you do gain a better understanding of what other parents feel, once you get there yourself.

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you do?

It would break my heart, but only for a time. I would save the medication so that it could be used to help others. My son knows Jesus and he'd be going to heaven. That is the reason for my choice. If my son didn't know Jesus, then I wouldn't be able to make the sacrifice, and I would save his life.

Eternity is a lot longer then the life we have here. With God's help, I could bear the loss of my child in this life, but knowing that he wasn't with God, after he passed is not something I could bear. So I would save him in that instance, and hope that he came to know Christ after I saved him.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36

 

[In A Perfect World]

Sadly, I might have to let my child pass for the wellbegin of mankind.

Maybe I am too much of an altruist?

 

[Velo Princesse]

I'd give it to my child. That might be horribly selfish, but ultimately, if it was made once it could be made again...

Besides, I am all at once completely unselfish and completely selfish when it comes to my children.

 

[1atheistmonk]

Thousands of lives outweight just one...

 

[Verv]

Your son/daughter is dying of AIDS and if a cure isn't administered within the next 24 hrs he/she will die. You hold in your hand the cure. You have exactly one dose, but this dose can be used to create countless others but the process will take weeks and requires the use of all of the initial dose. What do you do?

The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few.

It is not a pleasant decision to make but the decision has to be made for the greatest good to benefit.

 

[Yusuf Evans]

I see it as this. If they can make one, they can make another. Your child would basically be the guinea pig for this.