Suppose that scientists are within the range of curing cancer - all types - permanently, and with the means to prevent anybody from contracting it in the future.
Suppose that all they need to complete their research is 10 human volunteers to give their lives.
Suppose that as your reward you are given one year in which to do all the things you couldn’t otherwise: with all expenses paid and all arrangements taken care of for you.
Suppose it is absolutely guaranteed that if you (and 9 others) participate, * cancer will be eradicated. *
I would do it in a moment, but only after my child reached an age at which I could adequately explain it to him. Beyond my duty to him, I wouldn’t hesitate.
So why would I do it? Once I’m gone, I wouldn’t miss what was gone, and so many would gain from it. It doesn’t even seem like a dilemma.
This sounds so selfish, but I’d be afraid to agree to it, for fear that over the course of the year I’d want to change my mind, then be in an agony of indecision, hating myself for being selfish and wishy washy, guilty, conniving, begging, etc. I mean, what if I lost sight of why I’d said yes? I’d hate to regret it and be miserable.
But tell me that someone I love is due for cancer? I’d sign up in a heartbeat. I’ve already lost a few family members, albeit after long happy healthy lives. A family at church lost their daughter just after she turned two, however. Show me her picture again, and I think I’d say yes. But as Purd said, I couldn’t do it while my own baby is so small. (Unless, of course, you could tell me he would be getting it)
I think CrankyAsAnOldMan put it pretty well. I would likely be consumed by the fear of impending death, and would never be able to enjoy myself. I would likey mourn each day, and be miserable - it would be sorta like torture, actually.
Hm, it´s more like, they say that to the people that have stuff to begin with. To the people that have nothing at all, they say: “Go work in the fields, we´ll give you way too little than you deserve of the stuff we took from the other guys.”
Anyway, politics aside, I would do it in a second. In fact, I would sign up if I had to die tomorrow and had only a fairly good chance of success. I mean, for gods sake, we’re talking about billions uppon billions of potential lives here! Overpopulation aside, I don´t care enough about my corporal vehicle to say no to an offer like that. It´s yours doc, do yer best!
It would be interesting to compare this with the depression test scores thread though, I wonder if we depressies are more willing to go into the light for the greater good? Maybe we’ll be the saviors of the human race in the end
Absolutely! That’s such a good deal! Not only do I get to have a year of great fun, I get to die when I’m done with it. Not that I’m particularly morbid or suicidal but being able to know that it would be soon, after the best year of my life, and not 50 years from now after a prolonged, agonizing battle with, say, cancer. That would be great.
And FTR, I used to be depressed/suicidal a lot, but now only very rarely.
