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Permalink Reply by Zero One on April 4, 2011 at 6:29am I would not feel that taking a life is an option to monetarily gain wealth, If you kill someone thats like minus a million and one karma points. You will have bad karma for the rest of your life and it will erode your thoughts, unless you are a truly heartless ruthless killer and can still live with yourself and the constant reminder of the deed done in the form of your new stolen wealth. That is not for me.
Short answer: No
Permalink Reply by Albert Bakker on April 4, 2011 at 6:47am I can't kill anyone, but I would trade you all my karma points for dollars. I got a lot of those but not much use for them at the moment, so I won't even ask the 200 to 1 ratio. I'll take only a measly 5 dollars per karma point. Great deal or what?!! Please tell me if you prefer I send them in an envelope or if you want them in a box.
For those of you who would consider killing an x-best friend for lots of money, then how would you feel about your x-friend feeling the same way about you? What if your best friend beats you to it and kills you first?
Let us propose your x-best friend will use the money to benefit humanity also. We could have gladiator type games and use the money made from the ticket sales to fund the $200 million to give to the winner! Yeah, sounds like fun.
I don't believe it would be a good idea to do such a thing (at least not in an x-best friend case).
Permalink Reply by Big Fella on April 4, 2011 at 9:52am Everything has a value.
We all seem to some extent to be able to value human life (1 life vs many, 1 life vs safety for many, etc) so I suppose that it all comes down to two basic questions.
1) Do you think you'll be able to kill someone
2) What do you think is the value of human life.
The first question is a difficult one to answer, what I think about it does not really tell me anything about whether I will be able to do so. Killing an animal (fish, bug, reptile, mammal) does not really prepare you for killing a human I suppose (although to some it might be as difficult/easy).
As was said before by another poster, going back in time to kill Hitler seems like a good idea, yet this still entails a judgement about the value of life (1 life vs. many lives).
If you are able to find any situation in which you might seriously consider killing another human being you are in fact making a judgement about the value of life. This seems uncomfortable, but the more you extend the situation to the extreme the easier it becomes to do so. Killing one human (Hitler) to save millions is less uncomfortable then killing a 65 year old to save a 16 year old.
I don't think I'll be able to "just" kill another human being, but if I could I would definitely have a prize although currently "just" money won't cut it. I don't need to increase my wealth to be happy, I'd rather limit my greed.
Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on April 4, 2011 at 10:32am One could argue that killing Hitler would be a form of "self defense". It's one thing to take someone's life who is actively taking the lives of others, and something else entirely to take the life of someone for the sake of money... or even for the sake of someone else's life.
Everyone has read the scenario where there's a train barreling down the tracks, and you must choose which direction to throw the rails... either toward one person, or toward many people, on the tracks. It's a tough call. But I think pushing an uninvolved bystander onto the tracks to save the multitude is wrong. If their life were never in danger, you shouldn't arbitrarily choose someone to be the sacrifice for the "greater good"... for one, do we really know that the "good" done will really be greater? What if the world would be better off without that group of people?
Choosing between people is difficult. Choosing between money and people should not be difficult. I suppose I consider killing people for the sake of money cheating. You don't deserve the lifestyle you've just acquired. And if you could kill one person for money, couldn't you kill more? What would stop you? And if one life is worth less than 200million, isn't yours also? Maybe someone would kill you to get your money.
There are too many roads to travel down with this scenario, and none of them are very flattering to the one who agrees to kill for money.
Permalink Reply by Ryan E. Hoffman on April 4, 2011 at 10:15am
Permalink Reply by Steph on April 4, 2011 at 12:35pm
Permalink Reply by Arcus on April 4, 2011 at 2:08pm Ah, this makes me recall a George Bernard Shaw story:
"Best joke about prostitution ever done was by Bernard Shaw. He was at a party once and he told this woman that everyone would agree to do anything for money, if the price was high enough. `Surely not, she said.' `Oh yes,' he said. `Well, I wouldn't,' she said. `Oh yes you would,' he said. `For instance,' he said, `would you sleep with me for... for a million pounds?' `Well,' she said, `maybe for a million I would, yes.' `Would you do it for ten shillings?' said Bernard Shaw. `Certainly not!' said the woman `What do you take me for? A prostitute?' `We've established that already,' said Bernard Shaw. `We're just trying to fix your price now!' "
Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on April 4, 2011 at 2:48pm
Permalink Reply by Sean Fraser on April 4, 2011 at 2:49pm It would depend on the ex friend. Did he do something incredibly heinous to me or someone I care more about than him? Does he continue to affect my life negatively? Is he a bane to the existence of others? All of those factors would come in to play, not just the price.
But one has to remember, everyone has a price. It depends on the situation, motives, rewards, consequences, methods, and outside influences. If killing an ex best friend because he say, rapes women, and the $200 million would help me get out of debt and build a better life for me and my current family, and I wouldn't get caught, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
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