# Arms, Legs or Eyes - Which Would You Choose If You Had No Choice?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 10, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168 "2013-07-10T19:45:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/1 "2013-07-10T19:45:41Z")
You are about to become disabled, for the rest of your life and your options are:
1. Losing both arms, at the shoulder - trouble eating, no driving, no video games, someone else brushing your teeth and helping you clean yourself.
2. Losing both legs, at the pelvis and yes that means no more sex (sorry my rules I suspect most would choose legs if not included).
3. Sight. Complete and utter darkness for the rest of your life. Hope you like talk radio and music.
You decide.
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### Author:  [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/2 "2013-07-10T19:49:54Z")
Feel free to take shots at me for the ultra confusing title… since I am asking yo to choose. Hell I :smack:d myself.
Maybe a title change from a kind mod, but I deserve the angst.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/3 "2013-07-10T20:01:51Z")
I only get to pick one?
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/4 "2013-07-10T20:15:31Z")
How about one arm and one leg?
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/5 "2013-07-10T20:16:22Z")
No comment except on the paradox contained in the thread title:
Which Would You \*\*Choose \*\*If You Had **No Choice**?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/6 "2013-07-10T21:04:01Z")
It would have to be arms. Life without sex isn’t worth living. Without eyes those arms wouldn’t be that useful. OTOH I might go with the legs because it will be easier to kill myself if I have arms.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/7 "2013-07-10T21:38:18Z")
Bye-bye legs. I could learn to survive in a wheelchair, but the other two choices would make life unbearable . . . and too much of a burden for my partner. I know there are lots of people who have fulfilling and productive lives without arms or without sight; I just don’t want to be one of them.
Man, what a depressing thread.
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/8 "2013-07-10T21:55:49Z")
Legs. Even though the whole no sex thing is illogical, I’d still rather give up sex than independence.
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### Author:  [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/9 "2013-07-10T22:25:17Z")
NOT an easy choice at all… I eventually settled for legs.
So much of what I do relies on sight; to never read a book again, to be exceedingly limited in what I can do with a computer, to never see a beautiful woman or a sunset… nope. I can’t choose that.
Arms? I need my arms; again, to read a book, to use a computer, when looking at a beautiful woman… I’d like to keep my penis, but without arms, well, that’s like 90% of my fun gone right there!
So, legs it has to be. I can deal with a wheelchair; in fact, I kinda want one. But losing the penis as well? :mad:That’s just mean, dude! :eek:Still… I have to choose legs. It’s not like anyone but me is using my penis anyway…☹
At least I can continue to fill my life with videogames.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/10 "2013-07-10T22:31:56Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#):
>
> How about one arm and one leg?
It’ll cost yer.
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### Author:  [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/11 "2013-07-10T22:59:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> It’ll cost yer.
How much?
I’m going legs. No sex would really be a major bummer but with arms and sight I can still have a very good life.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/12 "2013-07-10T23:01:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#):
>
> Which Would You \*\*Choose \*\*If You Had **No Choice**?
If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/13 "2013-07-11T00:30:29Z")
This is easy: arms. You don’t need an ambulatory device when you lack arms; you do when you lack legs. Having such a device severely limits what someone can do, where they can go, etc. And add to that the no-sex caveat inserted by the OP, it’s no contest.
Being totally blind for the rest of my life seems a truly horrid and unlivable existence.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/14 "2013-07-11T00:38:28Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> This is easy: arms. You don’t need an ambulatory device when you lack arms; you do when you lack legs. Having such a device severely limits what someone can do, where they can go, etc. And add to that the no-sex caveat inserted by the OP, it’s no contest.
>
> Being totally blind for the rest of my life seems a truly horrid and unlivable existence.
Plus, exercise would still be a heck of a lot easier for someone with two legs and no arms than for a person with two arms and no legs.
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/15 "2013-07-11T06:33:53Z")
Legs. Easy decision.
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### Author:  [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/16 "2013-07-11T06:45:42Z")
I would choose legs but I can understand choosing sight. I have no idea how anyone could choose arms.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/17 "2013-07-11T07:12:13Z")
> [@zoid](#):
>
> How much?
You’ll have to pay through the nose.
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### Author:  [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/18 "2013-07-11T07:48:47Z")
Gotta be legs. Every single thing that I enjoy in my life today depends on both sight and hands, and while there are a significant number that depend on legs, it’s not anywhere near the level of being without hands or eys. And as far as I know, prosthetics are much more effective at replacing legs than they are at replacing hands.
Although if I had time to research and the hands situation wasn’t as bad as I think it is, maybe I’d go for the arms. Even so, probably legs still.
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### Author:  [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/19 "2013-07-11T09:01:28Z")
I usually vote in polls before reading responses or viewing results, but not this time, and it still didn’t change my reply: legs for me. I use my hands and eyes far more often and for more important things. The no sex thing almost caused me to answer differently, but hey I could still give even if I couldn’t receive, right? That’d (have to) be good enough for me and I guess I’d have to make the best of things.
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### Author:  [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arms-legs-or-eyes-which-would-you-choose-if-you-had-no-choice/663168/20 "2013-07-11T12:48:07Z")
Like many of you, the choice - for being such a depressing one - would be VERY easy. Take my legs and it is not even close. Even with the loss of sex, the idea of losing sight or upper mobility to hold things, use a computer, eat and generally be independent are so much more important.
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