this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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Most of the time when people say they have an unpopular opinion, it turns out it's actually pretty popular.

Do you have some that's really unpopular and most likely will get you downvoted?

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[โ€“] [email protected] 61 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There's no ethical way to kill someone who doesn't want to die. This applies to more than just humans.

[โ€“] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

[Insert trolley problem here]

[โ€“] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If they are attacking me, would it not be ethical of me to defend myself and potentially kill my attacker?

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Not op, but in my mind this would depend on whether you have any reasonable means of de-escalation, e.g. running away

If not then it's not really ethical or unethical... it just kinda can't be judged

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Non-human predators that hunt, kill, and eat other animals...do you consider them unethical, or is it only unethical for animals capable of inventing the concept of 'ethics'?

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

When you have no choice but to kill or starve, any killing is justified, but when starvation is off the table because you have access to agriculture and global supply chains, then that justification no longer exists.

I would expand the original statement to "there is no ethical way to kill someone who doesn't want to die, if you have an option not to kill them"

[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I consider cats unethical but the other animals get a pass.

Source: I'm a cat owner

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Cats and stray dogs often kill for fun, Orcas and dolphins as well... So intelligent life or life raised by very intelligent life seems to like killing other things...

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Those little fuckers are vicious! I love them so much!

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I won't disagree with that, but I would also include wasps, and possibly canadian geese.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ethics are subjective.

Say, if for example someone is about to fly a plane into a Skyscraper, the cockpit door is closed tightly and you can't get in, even if the person is armed, you have a gun, you can kill the person and open the cockpit door... You would save many life's, in exchange for just one... Whats unethical about that?

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Holy shit we derived the Zeroth Law of Robotics.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hey hold on here this is just the trolley problem but with planes and guns.