Brenton
Is There Anything Worth Dying For?
December 8th 2006 13:28
I have to be honest; the thought of dying, for me, gives me serious heebie jeebies. However let’s face it, somewhere, sometime, we all got to go. And, as a quote I read the other day suggests, What’s the point of tip-toeing through life to end up safely at deaths door?’
Suicide bombers, soldiers, martyrs, all give their lives for some reason. They all see something worth dying for.
So, I want to ask you; what do you think would be worth dying for?
Suicide bombers, soldiers, martyrs, all give their lives for some reason. They all see something worth dying for.
So, I want to ask you; what do you think would be worth dying for?
July 2005 London Bombers
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Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
"What’s the point of tip-toeing through life to end up safely at deaths door?" -- Well, the obvious answer is that this might be the better life. A utilitarian might believe that what you should do, as far as self-interest is concerned, is to maximize your happiness over a lifetime. So, on this basis, the person who lives an unexciting life for 60 years might well have a "better" life than the person who lives an exciting life for 10.
Most people think like this to some extent. They suffer the pain of jobs they hate now, for the payoff in terms of more money and pleasure later -- they're looking to maximize over a lifetime.
But obviously people have different value structures, and what's rational to do depends on how your own life is situated in those structures... You might have a scale of values with community, or country, or loved ones, or duty, etc at the top, such that self-sacrifice is rational, and the point of life is not the maximization of happiness. And from this perspective, it might be rational to be a suicide bomber even if you also believed in no life after death.
... Your post, incidentally, focuses on self-sacrifice for the sake of something else. An interesting category is those people who believe that it is rational, under some circumstances, to commit suicide for the sake of themselves. Like the girl in Million-Dollar Baby.
And this category of people ain't so small. Death is increasingly a decision, and many of the people reading this post WILL face the question of when to stop fighting. When, like Kerry Packer, do you turn off the life support. If you have only pain to look forward to, is it rational to die?
Well, this leads back to values again; what is the point of life... But one thought to close. Many people don't care that much about mere life. Given the choice between dying now or dying after 20 years in a brain dead coma with no hope of recovery, many people would see the choices as essentially the same. So there is something to be said for the view that, for many people, life in itself has little value...
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
I have to say, although I've no real desire to go tiptoeing, it would be pretty sweet to make 80.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
But that does mean... that by Adrian you mean Ahmed?
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
In my defense, I was tired and had just recived a PM from Ahmed, so I had Ahmed on the Brain.
Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
Inner West Life
I would die for my boys - my two sons - but I doubt I'd ever be placed in a position to make that choice.
Suicide is one thing.
Suicide Bombing is something else altogether. It's just fucked up (can I cuss on your blog?).
I can't even begin to comprehend WHY let alone HOW anyone could go to a place where they feel taking another life with them, in a suicide, could possibly bring them closer to any God.
Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!
Second comment, Brenton! - got to go
Too angry!
Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
Inner West Life
Comment by Jeneigh
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
I guess, yeah, tiptoeing's got to be a pretty subjective term.
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
What would I die for? I can't say I believe in anything enough to die for it. My family perhaps if it came to it. But that's probably about it.
I've always felt that we're here for a good time, not a long time. So I'll enjoy it while I've got it and make the most of the time I've got. But that doesn't mean that I'm not hoping that I'll be hanging round for a little while to come : )
KylieW
Comment by Brenton
Dr Spin
Tales From The Other Side
Blip Blog
Gadget Museum
Comment by Anonymous
As this attitude starts to prevail in a society, the fate of that society to become slaves is sealed. It is only a matter of time.
Comment by Happycat Himself