Ouch. I keep thinking over this one (needs of few vs needs of many) and have come to no conclusions. I suppose it would be a little easier if the loved one were willing to be sacrificed, but still... Ugh. I would hate it. I would absolutely, thoroughly hate it. On the other hand, I'd absolutely, thoroughly hate sacrificing millions of people too.
One thing I know is, even with my self-esteem issues, I wouldn't want to mean so much to somebody that they'd choose me over millions of others.
edited 8th Jan '12 2:25:49 PM by Xandriel
What's the point in giving up when you know you'll never stop anyway?
Long answer: You need to be willing to work past your own selfish feelings and not prioritize based on how close to you someone is emotionally.
Needs of the Many. Every time. Even if it's only two people I know are bastards vs. one person I love, I'd pick the many.
And then probably spiral into guilt and depression, but that's beside the point.
Smile for me!
Decemberist
Even though this situation will probably never happen to any of us, it is an interesting dilemma. As for me, I think that it would depend on the number of people that would be sacrificed if I chose the person close to me. Ten? I'd let them die. One hundred? That is damn tough. One thousand or more? I'd sacrifice the person close to me. Regardless, I'd feel like shit, either way I picked.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
someone
Whichever you pick, you're gonna feel bad about it, I guess. The only way is to Take a Third Option, perhaps?
something
Suicide?
Smile for me!
someone
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Heroic Sacrifice? Anyway, this doesn't even need to be "lots of people or your love interest". I've seen at least one example where it's a friend. It can even be a family member, I guess.
Oh My
If I were what I want to be I would pick the world.
If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah
Faith in the self.
I always thought proposing that kinda stuff in an hypothetical scenario was just missing the point.
"My life is my own" | If you want to contact me privately, please ask first on the forum.
Decemberist
Suicide? Heroic sacrifice? Hahahaha... hell no. I'd rather let a genocide happen.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Oh My
Oh wait we're entering heroic sacrifice into this? Then if that's an option...IF I WERE WHAT I WANT TO BE I WOULD LET MYSELF DIE.
I'm not though!
edited 8th Jan '12 2:45:21 PM by Aondeug
If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah
I would probably sacrifice myself. At least I really hope I would. I can't say what I would actually do in such a situation.
Decemberist
On second thought, I might think of sacrificing myself, not out of altruism, but out of fear of having to spend the rest of my life in shame for being responsible for the death of millions, shunned and hated by everyone.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Princess Ymir's knightess
This thread is silly.
(they/them)
Sacrifice myself or another willing person if possible. (Willingly dying to save lives isn't as bad as unwillingly dying.) Sacrifice the life/lives of a few people (even if they're people I care about) if not. Even if I would ruin my own life by doing so, I should only be able to count myself as at most one more life lost, which doesn't outweigh the lives of many people.
This isn't an absolute rule, of course; it's just the most probable conclusion of a utilitarian analysis in such a scenario. You can come up with plenty of "what if" scenarios that would change things.
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
Thinking about it, I think in these situations, it's not so much what choice they make, but how quickly they make.
I recall one part in the Faudo arc of Gash Bell, where Gash was asked to choose between saving the lives of those cursed by Faudo (either obey Rio and help break the seal, or die) or the world as a whole. He agonizes over the choice quite hard since at least one friend is under the curse, but in the end goes for third option of saving the world and his friend.
The whole point of that part is that isn't a decision that can be made lightly.
However, when someone can decide to let the world burn to save their puppy, or kill that puppy to save millions who wouldn't even know about it in a sanp, then you should be worried. You shouldn't be able to decide quickly.
One Strip! One Strip!Heroic Sacrifice is a third option? Then yeah. I'd feel like I had no right to life or happiness anyway if I let anyone die. Stupid Guilt Complex.
The only problem is what it would do to the loved one who would have been sacrificed. I hope they wouldn't develop survivor's guilt.
What's the point in giving up when you know you'll never stop anyway?
Decemberist
[[quotebock]]This thread is silly.[[/quoteblock]]
Spend a bit more time on TV Tropes, and your standards will just keep falling.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Decemberist
Huh, why can't I edit my posts?
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
NOT THE BEES
Eddie's tweaking stuff and it's mussing up javascript for a while.
Decemberist
Again? Oh well.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Faith in the self.
I don't see what's wrong with an hypothetical question provided you understand that you probably won't live up to your own words
"My life is my own" | If you want to contact me privately, please ask first on the forum.
Decemberist
That's actually the point of this question - to think if you could live up to your answer.
The sin of silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.
Donate every living second working for the public.
Families will understand in spite of "insert bad thing which requires money/time"
Ah. Here's a debate that has probably been done plenty of times.
I've been looking into Fate Stay Night, and have just recently seen the infamous Mind Of Steel ending.
I've gone back and forth on this one: Why is it a Bad End? And more to the point, why do I still find myself disagreeing with it.
The Needs of the Many vs Always Save the Girl? It's a tricky one. The lives of millions of people vs the life or lives of those close to you. On the one hand, letting millions die to save one person, even one you love is pretty damned cold. I know I wouldn't want to be killed so some guy could save his girlfriend or something.
But on the other hand, can someone who would let anyone close to him die (like a family member or lover) really protect the world. Especially if they deliberately sacrificed them. How much regard would they have for others if even close friends and family are expendable for The Greater Good?
Discuss friends. Discuss.
One Strip! One Strip!