hortfurball Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Whoa! What a can of worms! It's an internet forum, what do you expect? ;) Although I have to admit, this one was impressive, even by DOL standards! :laugh: Quite surprised it's still here, I'm usually halfway through when they inexplicably vanish on me. If you saw a child sitting in the middle of the road, and your dog lying on the road a few feet away, and a truck hurtling towards them, and you could only save one in time, I cannot imagine anyone would not run out and save the child! It would be instinct, surely? This is probably the silliest tack of this thread yet. If my dog is lying on the road with a truck roaring down, it's probably already dead. I'd grab the kid. What's the child doing sitting in the middle of the road though, and where are the parents? What would I do in the burning scenario? Well I would love to think I was a kick ass super hero who saved all the children, animals, old people, disabled etc but truth be known, I'd probably be so shell shocked that all I could do would be to scream hysterically at some poor operator on 000 that a building was on fire. And that's probably all the rest of us would do as well, with a very few exceptions. A variation on our theme of save the dog vs save the child has happenned. A TEENAGER has been killed by a train while running after a dog near Ballarat last night. How is that anything like the hypothetical burning building? It's just a tragedy that has a dog in the story. I can't believe this thread is STILL going!! If a building was on fire then 99% of people would save only one person - THEMSELVES.. Either way, what is a hypothetical strangers child doing in your hypothetical burning down house? Odd.... but anyhow.... :laugh: I know it's serious subject matter, but the absurdity in this comment made me laugh out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrie Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Good posting Hortfurball. I found myself agreeing with pretty much every point you made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 We can all tell who the child hating crazy dog lovers are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Wow! This is still going! If the person who posted the burning building comment was trying to get a rise out of people, they sure succeeded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Wow! This is still going! If the person who posted the burning building comment was trying to get a rise out of people, they sure succeeded. They started a fire. Then everyone had to put flame suits on. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Ok, let me ask a simple question. What is tha basis for the statement that a human life is more valuable than an animal's? If it is based on religion, I don't consider that logic. Parents will always want their children saved, over anyone!! But that is not my priority. My priority is based on ethics which dictate that if I have taken the responsibility for a life then it is my duty to save it. I will do all I can to save anyone. But only after I save my partner, my family (including my dogs). To those who disagree, I'd be most interested if you have a logical response. But please don't try and tell me what's right if you don't have logic to back it up. Statements like "human life is more valuable" or "kids are more important than dogs" isn't logic. That's an emotional response. And calling my preference psychopathic will be amusing if it didn't demonstrate a lack of logical reasoning to back up your emotional response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Ok, let me ask a simple question. What is tha basis for the statement that a human life is more valuable than an animal's? If it is based on religion, I don't consider that logic. Parents will always want their children saved, over anyone!! But that is not my priority. My priority is based on ethics which dictate that if I have taken the responsibility for a life then it is my duty to save it. I will do all I can to save anyone. But only after I save my partner, my family (including my dogs). To those who disagree, I'd be most interested if you have a logical response. But please don't try and tell me what's right if you don't have logic to back it up. Statements like "human life is more valuable" or "kids are more important than dogs" isn't logic. That's an emotional response. And calling my preference psychopathic will be amusing if it didn't demonstrate a lack of logical reasoning to back up your emotional response. Are you serious? A human life is of course more valuable than an animal, it isn't based on religion, it's common bloody sense. You cannot say that it is an emotional response, if we all put animals lives over humans, the world would be in turmoil pretty darn quick. ' I truly cannot believe you would even post such rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 This place never ceases to amaze me, after all this time it shouldn't but it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 And yet another response with illogical comments such as "rubbish". I love my dogs more than I love any stranger. It's as simple as that. If you love strangers more that's your prerogative. But don't try and force your values on others. I am not asking anyone to have the same values that I have. But resorting to insults and name calling when someone has a different opinion or value system is immature. Yes, I am very serious about what I say, and that's my last word on this subject. I agree to disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emgem Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) A human life is of course more valuable than an animal, it isn't based on religion, it's common bloody sense. It isn't common sense at all. Just a primitive human instinct from the days when humans were few and animals plentiful. That urge to protect our genetic legacy is still strong. Leaving aside the child-dog-fire situation, there are plenty of situations where I would prioritise the life of an animal over a human. Mostly they involve protecting endangered species in places where humans are encroaching on what little territory they have remaining. I also imagine there are plenty of families out there that would prioritise the life of their milk goat or dairy cow over the life of their second daughter. It's an interesting question anyway. Edited February 28, 2012 by emgem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I was going to say pretty much what you said emgem, it makes biological sense to me for humans to value the lives of our own species over those of another species. I already said my other reason for believing I would try to save the life of an unknown child over my much loved pets, however much I love my pets it is highly likely that they will die before I do so I will have to deal with losing them. Parents should not have to deal with outliving their children, I know it does happen but if I had a chance to try and stop it I would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.mister Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 A human life is of course more valuable than an animal, it isn't based on religion, it's common bloody sense. It isn't common sense at all. Just a primitive human instinct from the days when humans were few and animals plentiful. That urge to protect our genetic legacy is still strong. Leaving aside the child-dog-fire situation, there are plenty of situations where I would prioritise the life of an animal over a human. Mostly they involve protecting endangered species in places where humans are encroaching on what little territory they have remaining. I also imagine there are plenty of families out there that would prioritise the life of their milk goat or dairy cow over the life of their second daughter. It's an interesting question anyway. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meea Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 And yet another response with illogical comments such as "rubbish". I love my dogs more than I love any stranger. It's as simple as that. If you love strangers more that's your prerogative. But don't try and force your values on others. I am not asking anyone to have the same values that I have. But resorting to insults and name calling when someone has a different opinion or value system is immature. Yes, I am very serious about what I say, and that's my last word on this subject. I agree to disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meea Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 No disagreement from me OG. Humans are just another specie in the planet. The only thing that makes them more valuable than any other is vested interest! Meea Ratz to iphone editing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hortfurball Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Good posting Hortfurball. I found myself agreeing with pretty much every point you made. Hard to take credit, I was mostly just acknowledging other people's points ;) but thank you anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I have children AND dogs - how amazing that you can actually have both and love and cherish them both - what a novel thought :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajirin Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Coming in on the tail end of this with a burning building real life incident [no children involved]. My older friend passed away, her son [who was a bit older than me at the time] took on her three min poodles. A couple of months after she passed on, her son's house caught fire. He went back in to save the dogs as they were all he had left of his mother. He managed to save two of them, but succumbed to smoke inhalation and got badly burnt trying to save the third [which sadly he died in the fire]. After lingering in an induced coma with 80% burns to his body he passed away a few days later. People in intense situations will try and save what matters most to them....can't judge nor blame them for doing so. Everyone's priorities are different and he wasn't a crazy dog guy either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I wish there was a like button for Noishe's story. The story is sad but I think it sums up emergency situations for the public very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrie Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Good posting Hortfurball. I found myself agreeing with pretty much every point you made. Hard to take credit, I was mostly just acknowledging other people's points ;) but thank you anyway. I actually pressed the edit button at the time to add those that you quoted and agreed with but cancelled it and went back to reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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