Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs • Hacker News Board

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#11

Post by whatshisface » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:25 PM UTC

CreepGin wrote: post #10

Scenario: You are at the Louvre Museum, suddenly there's a big fire. You are standing next to the painting of Mona Lisa that is about to catch on fire. From the corner of your eyes you also see a small kitten collapsed under fallen rubbles and desperately and hopelessly trying to get out. Which one do you rescue first?

A truly amoral rational agent would save the kitten, because they can't keep the painting.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#12

Post by slumpt_ » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:25 PM UTC

donatj wrote: post #5

I think the true nature of death is far less well known the younger you are.

I’d say the true nature of death isn’t something we gain insight into the older we are, either.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#13

Post by cortesoft » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:25 PM UTC

donatj wrote: post #5

I think the true nature of death is far less well known the younger you are.

Yeah, my five year old is both weirdly obsessed with the idea of death but also weirdly not bothered by the concept. She is always asking if some person she learns about is dead, and always says we are "trying to die her" whenever we stop her from doing something she wants to do, but is never too distraught.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#14

Post by aphextron » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:25 PM UTC

I got a puppy when the pandemic hit, since I live alone and figured it'd help me cope with the isolation. This is the first pet I've ever owned. I thought that I would be able to "love" it the way other people seem to. But I can't, and until seeing this article I almost felt like that meant I was sociopathic or something. Sure it's cute, but I would also have no hesitation whatsoever in killing it to save the life of a random stranger I've never met. How are you supposed to love something when you feel that way about it? I think the way our relationship toward pets is portrayed, in western society at least, must be extremely unhealthy and immature because of this.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#15

Post by 0binbrain » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:25 PM UTC

TL;DR but from the summary it says "Socially acquired" which seems like a leap to me. Couldn't it also be as simple as children don't fully understand all the difference between themelves and animals. For example, my 3 year old probably thinks dogs can talk and pilot helicopters.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#16

Post by pteraspidomorph » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:26 PM UTC

CreepGin wrote: post #10

Scenario: You are at the Louvre Museum, suddenly there's a big fire. You are standing next to the painting of Mona Lisa that is about to catch on fire. From the corner of your eyes you also see a small kitten collapsed under fallen rubbles and desperately and hopelessly trying to get out. Which one do you rescue first?

Trick question; Both would be impossible to remove under the circumstances. You should probably leave immediately, since you're almost as flammable as the Mona Lisa.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#17

Post by notRobot » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:26 PM UTC

CreepGin wrote: post #10

Scenario: You are at the Louvre Museum, suddenly there's a big fire. You are standing next to the painting of Mona Lisa that is about to catch on fire. From the corner of your eyes you also see a small kitten collapsed under fallen rubbles and desperately and hopelessly trying to get out. Which one do you rescue first?

I'm going to go for the kitten, but I'm aware that I'm probably in the minority. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I chose to save an inanimate object over a living creature.

And there's the matter that I am of the firm opinion that art being damaged doesn't stop it from being art. It just adds to the story behind the piece.

Also, I fucking love cats.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#18

Post by finnh » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:27 PM UTC

whatshisface wrote: post #11

CreepGin wrote: post #10

Scenario: You are at the Louvre Museum, suddenly there's a big fire. You are standing next to the painting of Mona Lisa that is about to catch on fire. From the corner of your eyes you also see a small kitten collapsed under fallen rubbles and desperately and hopelessly trying to get out. Which one do you rescue first?

A truly amoral rational agent would save the kitten, because they can't keep the painting.

Only if they valued the continued existence of the Mona Lisa, absent owning it, at zero.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#19

Post by dylan604 » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:27 PM UTC

smnrchrds wrote: post #7

> Although they valued pigs less, the majority still prioritized 10 pigs over one human Children are so clueless and innocent.

I don't think clueless is the right word. Innocent, sure, but they just haven't learned how to value things within a more realistic manner.

Re: Children choose to save dogs over humans, adults chose 1 human over 100 dogs

#20

Post by ghostbrainalpha » Mon, Dec 28, 2020, 6:27 PM UTC

bigbubba wrote: post #8

Children are ethically immature? Who could have guessed?!?

Or...

Adults become so overly conditioned to accept that killing animals for our daily lives is normal, that we no longer register animal death as an ethical issue.