Maciamo said:
What makes you think that killing is always wrong/immoral ?
I do not expect you to agree with me - indeed, in your post you clearly said you were in favour of euthanasia, and I was putting forward my view which was different from yours. However, I don't expect to be able to 'change your mind', since you already hold your view!
Whether killing is always wrong/immoral is branching out somewhat into a wider issue, which I don't feel capable of tackling at this time of night :hey: but might revisit later when my brain is in better working order! :relief: For now, I will just say that I
do believe that killing is always wrong, and perhaps go into more detail at another point. Again, I don't expect that I can change your mind about this, as already you have expressed a view different from mine! But as we have different views on this, obviously we will also have different opinions on euthanasia (and assisted suicide).
We do kill animals for food. Many countries still execute criminals. People are allowed to end their own life the world over. Some primitive/ancient societies sacrifice(d) human beings to the gods as part of their culture and beliefs.
-- Regarding animals: I do not think that animal lives are quite the
same as human lives; however, I do strongly disagree with the inhumane methods often currently used for killing animals for food; also, though, there is the balance of the environment to be taken into consideration if farming animals for food was altogether stopped, which again is another issue and one that I'm happy to discuss, but not here (as I feel it belongs more rightly in another thread, but, it is an interesting issue.
).
-- I don't agree with executing criminals, either.
-- Nor do I think it is right to end one's own life. But I would like to say that I would never condemn or criminalize someone who attempts to do so (I would be lying if I said I'd never considered it, and still do), but would rather they have help, to overcome their problems.
-- Nor do I think it is right to sacrifice humans or animals to gods.
Anyway I disagree that all human lives have the same worth.
That is the fundamental point on which our opinions diverge, and on which neither will alter.
It is as aberrant as saying that all humans are equal, when they are obviously all different.
Equal in worth does not mean 'the same'.
If you had to choose to save a senile 90 year old with a heavy criminal record or a bright, pretty and cheerful 9 year old in perfect health and loved by lots of people, are you saying that you would not been able to decide under the pretext that both lives have exactly the same worth ?
You are quite right in your assumption that I would probably choose to save the young girl. I don't have any problem admitting that. It's a natural human (and animal!) instinct, when having to choose between 2 lives to save, to choose the younger or stronger, with the best chance of survival and breeding, for the continuation and strength of the species. And if one person has to die anyway, it seems fairer to save the person who hasn't had as long a chance at life. Under a condition where I
have to choose one out of 2 people, the fact that I believe both lives to be of equal worth would have no influence in my decision since one of the people would have to die anyway. But I can sincerely say that I would not be in any position to judge which life was of more worth, that of the old man or that of the child. Just because someone has a heavy criminal record doesn't mean they're necessarily a 'worse' person than I am, or a 'worse' person than the young child might become.