Markus FIN Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 So have any of you ever thought about what you would do if you survived the first days of panic in a zombie apocalypse? I have had fun thinking about it and at one point I came across a really deep question while watching The Walking Dead. Are you allowed to shoot someone on sight if everyone you have met so far has done it to you? I mean you can't know what is this particular persons plan, but you can pretty safely assume he is going to try to kill you like everyone else. Would you have the moral duty to take your chances, or are you allowed to kill him? It is easy to say that it is "either him or me", but you can't be sure about it. What if you have kids or a loved one with you? Does killing someone to protect your family from POTENTIAL danger make you a bad person? I know that many people would just shut these questions out during an outbreak but I want to really think about it. This fits to almost any disaster scenario where chaos breaks out. Are you allowed to do whatever it takes to survive in a life threatening situation? Who are the most valuable people? Are everyone equally valuable, so if your kids are in potential danger you are still not allowed to take aggressive action? I have always had a very strict NO to this question, but I want to hear your opinion as well! "In this life now, you kill or you die... Or you die and you kill." -Philip Blake Markus FIN
J-William Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Sounds like there isn't much choice here, and you know where there's no choice there's no morality... Also, dontcha think there are more important topics to discuss than an apocalyptic fantasy? like maybe the question of why you personally are a big fan of apocalyptic fantasies?
Markus FIN Posted May 9, 2014 Author Posted May 9, 2014 Sounds like there isn't much choice here, and you know where there's no choice there's no morality... Also, dontcha think there are more important topics to discuss than an apocalyptic fantasy? like maybe the question of why you personally are a big fan of apocalyptic fantasies? Oh c'mon dude, this is the "off-topic" area. Cut me some slack! And I like zombie apocalypses because in them the state, laws and regulation disappear. You can be your own master and you get a completely fresh start to your life. Unless you get eaten alive of course.
J-William Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Oh c'mon dude, this is the "off-topic" area. Cut me some slack! And I like zombie apocalypses because in them the state, laws and regulation disappear. You can be your own master and you get a completely fresh start to your life. Unless you get eaten alive of course. Or get shot by someone who thinks you were out to get them... Zombocalypses seem like an odd place to find freedom.
Wuzzums Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Don't mistake tv shows for reality. Cooperation offers an evolutionary advantage, those who do not shoot everybody on sight survive, those who do won't.
Markus FIN Posted May 9, 2014 Author Posted May 9, 2014 Don't mistake tv shows for reality. Cooperation offers an evolutionary advantage, those who do not shoot everybody on sight survive, those who do won't. I know it is not reality, I just think what people WOULD do in a situation like that. Don't judge me, I am just a man!
ParaSait Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 It's still rational to have NAP around. I just wouldn't assume that people are peaceful by default, I'd invest much more heavily in self-defense and watch my back more closely. Sure, it's fun to think about these things... it may be useful in creating fiction. Not much point in it otherwise, indeed.
cynicist Posted May 9, 2014 Posted May 9, 2014 Oh c'mon dude, this is the "off-topic" area. Cut me some slack! And I like zombie apocalypses because in them the state, laws and regulation disappear. You can be your own master and you get a completely fresh start to your life. Unless you get eaten alive of course. Well it's more than that though, since the laws aren't just gone, you are also in constant danger of dying. Talking about morality in a situation where you are just struggling to survive doesn't make sense, because morality isn't applicable in those situations. So it's like, wouldn't it be cool if god existed and you could pray to him for goodies? What would you ask him for?! I don't mean to put your topic down or anything, but I would have been more interested in it 8 years ago when I had a joint in my hand and munchies on the table.
Markus FIN Posted May 10, 2014 Author Posted May 10, 2014 Well it's more than that though, since the laws aren't just gone, you are also in constant danger of dying. Talking about morality in a situation where you are just struggling to survive doesn't make sense, because morality isn't applicable in those situations. So it's like, wouldn't it be cool if god existed and you could pray to him for goodies? What would you ask him for?! I don't mean to put your topic down or anything, but I would have been more interested in it 8 years ago when I had a joint in my hand and munchies on the table. LOL I get what you mean, I just can't comprehend why morality could be just put aside in a situation if danger. No matter how crappy your situation is, you always have a choice. In my opinion morality upplies to EVERY situation a person can be in and without exceptions. :PMarkus FIN
cynicist Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 LOL I get what you mean, I just can't comprehend why morality could be just put aside in a situation if danger. No matter how crappy your situation is, you always have a choice. In my opinion morality upplies to EVERY situation a person can be in and without exceptions. :PMarkus FIN So if someone kidnaps your wife and orders you to rob your employer if you ever want to see her again, then you should be punished for theft because there are no exceptions right? I mean you always had a choice to not steal...
Markus FIN Posted May 10, 2014 Author Posted May 10, 2014 So if someone kidnaps your wife and orders you to rob your employer if you ever want to see her again, then you should be punished for theft because there are no exceptions right? I mean you always had a choice to not steal...No, but you would have to make it up for your employer afterwards. You can't reverse a murder, so if he asked you to kill your employer then it would be a straight up murder. You don't have the right to take some strangers life in order to save someone else, that is the basis if Statism. It means that for the "greater good" it is okay to sarifice other people... :/Markus FIN
cynicist Posted May 10, 2014 Posted May 10, 2014 You can't reverse a murder, so if he asked you to kill your employer then it would be a straight up murder. But that would be to say that someone in a coercive situation (like a soldier who would be shot for refusing an order) is exactly the same morally as someone who enjoys killing and does it freely (some kind of psychopathic monster). Do you think the circumstances of a murder are completely irrelevant? Personally I think morality requires free choice, so someone being forced to do something should be treated differently. The same applies to survival scenarios because a choice between life and death is not really a choice for someone who desires life. (which presumably would be everyone who goes on living rather than killing themselves)
Markus FIN Posted May 10, 2014 Author Posted May 10, 2014 But that would be to say that someone in a coercive situation (like a soldier who would be shot for refusing an order) is exactly the same morally as someone who enjoys killing and does it freely (some kind of psychopathic monster). Do you think the circumstances of a murder are completely irrelevant? Personally I think morality requires free choice, so someone being forced to do something should be treated differently. The same applies to survival scenarios because a choice between life and death is not really a choice for someone who desires life. (which presumably would be everyone who goes on living rather than killing themselves) Short answer: Yes. I know it might sound a but strange but that is how I feel. The person who forces you is the one who is doing the wrong thing and should be punished, not the person he orders you to kill. :)Markus FIN
J-William Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 I find it entirely unsurprising the trajectory of a certain former user who decided that philosophy was his own private zombie apocalypse...
RyanT Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 you called it mate.... Sounds like there isn't much choice here, and you know where there's no choice there's no morality... Also, dontcha think there are more important topics to discuss than an apocalyptic fantasy? like maybe the question of why you personally are a big fan of apocalyptic fantasies?
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