How many people can you think of that you would, without hesitation, give up your life to save?

LabTech wrote:

None, but for my DOG? yes

Same. Except I have no animals. I would save my computer though. Or my mouse.

How many people? To be honest, I'd say none. It's easy to imagine yourself being a hero, but I doubt many of us would willingly jump in front of a bullet/train/hand grenade to save someone if that situation actually arose.

The only people I would even consider sacrificing my life for would be my parents and two very close friends, but that's a big if.

But maybe that's because I'm young and healthy. If I were in my 90s and wheelchair bound, I'd happily give my life for my dog or even a stranger. At least I've lived a full life by then and can die knowing I did something good.

Conundrum wrote:

Common easy answer. Now lets make it more difficult. Would you give up your life to save a stranger. No, OK how about a dozen strangers? 100 strangers? A city?

Stranger: no

dozen strangers: no

100 strangers: probably

a city: depends what city

There is well-known evolutionary theory about when you should lay down your life.

Evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane famously joked that he would willingly die for two brothers or eight cousins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_selection

Do you know what a hypothetical is? Its funny how the mind works when it has to deal with a question it doesn't want to answer.

Student wrote:

The scenario is false, as there is rarely if ever a situation where this trade-off (me or them dies) is assured. This makes it difficult to get at the essences of the issue. A better method might be to present a series of increasing dangerous scenarios. For example, which of the following scenarios would you put yourself in to save: 1) your child, 2) your spouse, 3) other close friends and family members, 4) associates and acquaintances, 5) strangers, 6) adversaries.

A. Intervene as they are being attacked by a large dog

B. Jump into a fast-moving river to save them from drowning

C. Attempt to rescue them from a polar bear cage

Etc.

Understanble, certainly your dog would give up its life for you. However, would your dog be happy living its life without you?Also could you imagine the scorn your dog would receive from the other dogs when they found out that he was only living because his master had to die!

LabTech wrote:

None, but for my DOG? yes

primegrid wrote:

How many people? To be honest, I'd say none. It's easy to imagine yourself being a hero, but I doubt many of us would willingly jump in front of a bullet/train/hand grenade to save someone if that situation actually arose.

Lots of people have done it.

And if you are over reproductive age you might give up your life to save only one cousin.

Kin Selection wrote:

There is well-known evolutionary theory about when you should lay down your life.

Evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane famously joked that he would willingly die for two brothers or eight cousins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_selection

Well, my dog is already (really) a hero who risked his life to save many people, so I think his canine streetcred would survive. And he'd still have my wife to take care of him (yes, ok, I would be willing to die for her too, though I know she would prefer I not do so).

Conundrum wrote:

Understanble, certainly your dog would give up its life for you. However, would your dog be happy living its life without you?

Also could you imagine the scorn your dog would receive from the other dogs when they found out that he was only living because his master had to die!

LabTech wrote:

None, but for my DOG? yes

My son, maybe? But NO ONE.. Screw that..

Most of you hero thinking types would be shivering from the fear of whatever threat was about to take your life. You could not even say take my life as the words would not be able to come forth from your coward mouths..

I hear the hero but I know it's not true. Been in a few tight moment over the past 5 decades and every single time my backup mates would beat Usain Bolt in a dash from the scene.

My ex is convinced her uncle dived on a grenade to save his buddies during the war. The myth has become the reality, leading her to believe this is the ultimate honor (among the naive). I questioned this 'Medal of Honor' move but was met with the stone glare of someone who was infuriated. Drop the subject. Uncle, whatever died a grand hero death not just another regular G.I. KIA.

When you take into account that on the NYC subway it's rare to find someone who will give up a seat to a gray haired old lady with a cane, it kinda put things into perspective.

So i don't believe any of you guys and girls "take my life to save others" fantasies.

Oh, you're so tough and worldly wise!

No Sam.. I am admitting that toughness is not my greatest asset. I know it. Why would you be upset about that? The two ladies I saved from a brutal nyc mugging might disagree but I would just say I was luck on both of those nights.

What's your claim to fame? I know you don't have one. Please go watch an action movie and fantasize about saving the world.

jx10 wrote:

No Sam.. I am admitting that toughness is not my greatest asset. I know it. Why would you be upset about that? The two ladies I saved from a brutal nyc mugging might disagree but I would just say I was luck on both of those nights.

What's your claim to fame? I know you don't have one. Please go watch an action movie and fantasize about saving the world.

I have no claim to fame. I just quietly do the little bit I can to make the world less sh*tty, which isn't much. I just know that there are plenty of folks out there who would die to save their buddies, or even complete strangers; it's just a fact.

I'm an old guy too (maybe not as old as you) but you know how you are anooyed at the posters who play the brave heroe type on this thread, well you are kind of playing up the tough grizzled old guy role to the hilt.You can't assume these guys are "cowards.... that would be shivering from fear".

Tough grizzled old guy to the hilt? Funny how i had to tell a dude to stop pissing under my stairway last night. Been smelling it for weeks and finally revealed the culprit.

He waved me off, said i was disrespecting him.. So now he was offended. Told me to suck his #$%^. and made the first move. Yeah...

the fight was broken up by the cops who now patrol the gentrified neighborhood in teams. He said he was sorry, I didn't press charges, as he threw the first punch and was guilty.

But we will see if he finds a new bathroom. Can't call the cops in a situation like that. They will laugh. So you got to deal with it one to one. I will send him to your place to take a pee on the staircase? I'll tell you before I send him over so you can get out your phone to call the cops the moment you see him...in Shadydale the cops would put a stop to that. Not in NYC.

So many travels covering athletics and dealing with disaffected kids all over the globe,trains, buses, etc. wanting to take your expensive equipment, you got to make a stand..

Brooklyn has changed a lot but stuff still happens, so your damn straight I'm grizzled. I live in the city. F. you!

If that story is true, well I guess you are one tough grizzled old guy!Interesting little anecdote.

Moman wrote:

I would risk my life to save almost anyone. Say someone is in a lake drowning. No matter who it is I would go in after them no matter what. Why would anyone not do this in most situations?

You might want to rethink this. Lots of people drown trying to save someone else. I took a basic water survival course and we were taught not to go into the water to save someone unless we were trained lifeguards. Reach out to them with a pole or push them a flotation device. A drowning person will fight you and you have to be experienced to overcome it. I tried it in class with a partner and failed every time. Read that again... failed EVERY time.

A few years later, I was on a dock when a kid fell in. I walked over to help him out, but he didn't come up. When the ripples cleared, I could see him under the water, but he was going down instead of up. I grabbed a docking rope and went under with my upper body to grab him by the shirt and jerked him up to the dock. Scary... but I was never personally at risk.