If there was a fire and you only had time to save one of these, which would you save: a one-month old baby, or a flask containing 100 frozen human embryos.
Is the fire making me uncomfortable? I might just sit there saying “This is fine” until it’s too late to save either.
Or scout outside to make sure it is really safer than inside before discovering it’s too late to save either.
Or maybe flip the lever between the front wheels and back wheels going over the switch for some multi-track drifting–ah nm, that doesn’t work for this version of the trolly problem.
Who leaves their infant in an IVF clinic? If I walk out with the flask they’ll suspect me of arson. If I walk out with the baby, who knows. Call 911 and let the fire fighters save the rest of the buildings occupants.
If one one-month old baby and 100 embryos spontaneously combusted I’d assume the world was ending in flames. In that case, where humanity is on the line, I would save the embryos because we need to repopulate the earth after the fires extinguished. I’d probably trip though with the case and break all the embryos.
If we were to actually treat this as a moral dilemma, without external factors or trying to challenge the premise:
One of these is sentient. The other hundred are not. Much as my heart might bleed for the potential humans that will never be realised, my priority would be the living, feeling, crying one.
Actually, the crying might be an issue. I tend to be sensitive to some sounds, and particularly in a stressful situation, a wailing baby might be a detriment…
Still, I’m susceptible to emotional bias. I don’t like babies or small children, but I won’t pretend to be immune to the kind of protective reflex they tend to evoke in (sane) adults. So on top of the above reasoning, I would most likely save the baby, headache be damned.
And then I’d go and find whoever set up this cruel choice in the first place. Why would I be in such a clinic in the first place? Why would it catch on fire? Why does God hate us?
Why would I be in such a clinic in the first place?
You are visiting your partner at the their place of work, which happens to be a lab, with your newborn baby and an accident happens and a fire breaks out. /s
I believe I would save the baby simply because I can emotionally relate to it and not a flask with some frozen content.
I mean, it does house all my code experiments, so I guess it’s a lab. The sort filled with abominations begging to be relieved. “Delete me!” I can sometimes hear them cry if I open ~/Projects and linger a little too long.
with your newborn baby and an accident happens
If she carries a baby to term, there have been at least two accidents already, what’s one more?
Though I’d probably be saving her instead. Odds are the baby could crawl faster than her after pregnancy is done with her.
Shame about my PC though. I’ve got all the important stuff backed up, but there’s a few code projects I’ve been meaning to get back to some time…
I believe I would save the baby simply because I can emotionally relate to it and not a flask with some frozen content.
Yeah, I think that’s on the mark. I can’t in all honesty say I’d stand there rationally weighing the ethics of the situation and morality of the choices. The baby feels “more human” than the jar. It also probably has better chances of surviving the lack of refrigeration.
I’ve got a Nextcloud storage at tab.digital, set up to sync with Nextcloud’s own client. It does the job just as well as Google Drive, but is hosted in Europe and not by a bloodsucking megacorp.
If there was a fire and you only had time to save one of these, which would you save: a one-month old baby, or a flask containing 100 frozen human embryos.
Is the fire making me uncomfortable? I might just sit there saying “This is fine” until it’s too late to save either.
Or scout outside to make sure it is really safer than inside before discovering it’s too late to save either.
Or maybe flip the lever between the front wheels and back wheels going over the switch for some multi-track drifting–ah nm, that doesn’t work for this version of the trolly problem.
I respect your rejection of the premise.
For real though, I’d save a baby (or adult) seal before the 100 human embryos.
Can I just leave them both?
Who leaves their infant in an IVF clinic? If I walk out with the flask they’ll suspect me of arson. If I walk out with the baby, who knows. Call 911 and let the fire fighters save the rest of the buildings occupants.
I don’t have kids and do you have any idea what one of those smoothies costs. I choose 100 horse sized human embryos
If one one-month old baby and 100 embryos spontaneously combusted I’d assume the world was ending in flames. In that case, where humanity is on the line, I would save the embryos because we need to repopulate the earth after the fires extinguished. I’d probably trip though with the case and break all the embryos.
If we were to actually treat this as a moral dilemma, without external factors or trying to challenge the premise:
One of these is sentient. The other hundred are not. Much as my heart might bleed for the potential humans that will never be realised, my priority would be the living, feeling, crying one.
Actually, the crying might be an issue. I tend to be sensitive to some sounds, and particularly in a stressful situation, a wailing baby might be a detriment…
Still, I’m susceptible to emotional bias. I don’t like babies or small children, but I won’t pretend to be immune to the kind of protective reflex they tend to evoke in (sane) adults. So on top of the above reasoning, I would most likely save the baby, headache be damned.
And then I’d go and find whoever set up this cruel choice in the first place. Why would I be in such a clinic in the first place? Why would it catch on fire? Why does God hate us?
You are visiting your partner at the their place of work, which happens to be a lab, with your newborn baby and an accident happens and a fire breaks out. /s
I believe I would save the baby simply because I can emotionally relate to it and not a flask with some frozen content.
Home?
I mean, it does house all my code experiments, so I guess it’s a lab. The sort filled with abominations begging to be relieved. “Delete me!” I can sometimes hear them cry if I open
~/Projectsand linger a little too long.If she carries a baby to term, there have been at least two accidents already, what’s one more?
Though I’d probably be saving her instead. Odds are the baby could crawl faster than her after pregnancy is done with her.
Shame about my PC though. I’ve got all the important stuff backed up, but there’s a few code projects I’ve been meaning to get back to some time…
Yeah, I think that’s on the mark. I can’t in all honesty say I’d stand there rationally weighing the ethics of the situation and morality of the choices. The baby feels “more human” than the jar. It also probably has better chances of surviving the lack of refrigeration.
Though I’d probably be saving her instead. Odds are the baby could crawl faster than her after pregnancy is done with her.
Pregnancy sure does a number on the body!
You don’t happen to have a good off site backup solution to share?
I’ve got a Nextcloud storage at tab.digital, set up to sync with Nextcloud’s own client. It does the job just as well as Google Drive, but is hosted in Europe and not by a bloodsucking megacorp.