[Deep Thoughts] Strange Sacrifice

[Kyle]

If sacrificing your own life would save the lives of a specific number of strangers, how many strangers would need to be saved for you to sacrifice your own life? What if the people were friends? How about family?

[El Jefe]

I don't know how I can make this any clearer, Scarecrow. I'm not giving you my damn brain.

[Phoebe]

Why are you trying to drive me away from this place? You could just ask if that's what you want.

[Kyle]

It's okay to face deep thoughts, Phoebe.

Actually, Pdyx and I make and drink iced coffee together every afternoon. Then we have a coffee klatch. I found this list of "deep conversation starters" and put it in a spreadsheet. So everyday I have it pull up a random one and we talk about it. Then I post it to the boards.

[Phoebe]

Help me God. The purpose of those questions was originally to show the completely ridiculous moral bankruptcy of utilitarianism, and then morally bankrupt utilitarians latched onto such questions as a serious enterprise because they couldn't see the problem with their death maths.

[Kyle]

Okay... so... don't participate if you see it's a Deep Thoughts question? I don't understand the problem.

[El Jefe]

My answer would be more than 5.

[Phoebe]

I'm participating. That was pretty real talk from me, considering. It's a terrible question that masks a terrible approach to ethical thinking.

[Kyle]

Oh- then I'm changing my answer. I'm trying to drive you away from the boards.

[Phoebe]

There's a great 21 Pilots song called "Ride" that digs into similarly deep thoughts:
"Who would you live for, who would you die for, and would you ever kill?"
Apparently some people even have a list of those for whom they would take a bullet, though few bullets are coming through.

[WillyGilligan]