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August 05, 2005

A Simple Thought Experiment

Trevino from RedState.org, when not stalking Bill with a lusty passion that knows no bounds, says silly things like this about him:

So, mea culpa. I thought he began with a moral premise marred by inconsistent application; it turns out his consistency in application is unblemished, beginning as he does with the thoroughly monstrous premise that some human lives are less equal than others.

OK class, here we go.

You're walking by the banks of a raging river when you hear a scream for help - make that two screams. One comes from your mother, bless her drowning soul. The other comes from me.

You only have time to save one of us before the other is swept off to a choking, watery death, soon becoming a bloated floater bobbing in the ocean.

So, are you gonna save me? What's it gonna be, boy? Come on, I can wait all night. What's it gonna be, boy, yes or no?

Whomever you choose, you just placed a higher value on that life than the other. The loser's life clearly was "less equal" than the one who gets saved, at least to you. Theory, meet practice.

Don't you feel dirty?

And why'd you go and let me drown like that? I look awful in sea-bloat!

Update: Lesley has an even better example in the comments:

Fireman in a burning lab. Chooses to save 10 frozen embryos over a doctor who subsequently burns to death. Hands up, those who think the fireman did the right thing and won't be punished for letting the doctor burn to death?

Right. That's what I thought.

Lesley apparently has not yet learned that the every-sperm-is-sacred crowd is impervious to logic. Neither have I, judging by how often I entertain their nonsense on the blog.

Update 2: What, no one caught the Meatloaf lyrics in the middle of the post? How sad are you people, huh? What do you mean "look who's calling whom sad?"