If entering a burning building...

Roke · Post by **Roke** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:42 pm

Ok, picture this.

Say you're on a road and ahead you see a burning building and stop to go see. Everyone who lives there has evacuated the building, but there are two things they equally hold dear: A priceless Van Gogh painting, and their new pet kitten. They beg you to go in and save them, but when you get inside you see the ceiling falling apart and you have a short time to decide.

To your right, the painting. To your left, the kitten. You only have enough time to save one and get out alive... Which do you choose?

(Please, no pointless posts like "I'd sit there and die." or "I'd never go in in the first place." If you don't like kittens, then just imagine it's a different kind of animal.)

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:45 pm

The Van Gogh. There will always be more kittens, but there are few Van Goghs.

There's always the chance the kitten will make it out on its own.

moonslayer · Post by **moonslayer** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:47 pm

The kitten, I would regret choosing a material object over a living thing, but that's just me.

Roke · Post by **Roke** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:48 pm

Well, I put the Van Gogh in because priceless painting was a bit vague. I forgot to mention that if one is selected the other will not make it out.

Veldrin · Post by **Veldrin** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:53 pm

Well if the person is going to take the painting after I get it, then I might as well save the kittens life. Though if I could keep the painting I would choose the painting.

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:55 pm

moonslayer wrote:The kitten, I would regret choosing a material object over a living thing, but that's just me.

Perhaps, and yet, just as the kitten has "value" because it's alive, the Van Gogh has value, too. It represents the artistic passion, vision, labor, and (considering he cut his ear off) frustration of the artist. It has instilled value. A value of beauty.

The difference comes from rarity. The kitten, while its death is sad, can be replaced. An original Van Gogh, on the other hand, cannot be.

Nurd · Post by **Nurd** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 3:59 pm

People place too much value on posessions, "things" that they "own" the "priceless" van gogh is only so because people thing that a painting that old must be worth something. To me it's worth no more than the canvas it's painted on and the frame that's built around it.

I'd save the kitten.

On the other hand, there are no absolutes in life, you cannot say that I can only save one because that introduces a level of unrealism that I am not able to accept no matter how hypothetical, so you grab the van gogh, tee up the kitten like I'm a little leaguer, whack that kitten out the front door with the edge of the frame like I'm babe ruth aiming for the bleachers then dive out the door and we're all home free.

Nurd

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 4:18 pm

I'd save the painting, cause if the kitten is too damn dumb to get out on its own, then its probly just gunna run out in front of a truck anyways once you got it out, so why waste a good painting.

Tab. · Post by **Tab.** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 4:29 pm

I'd save the kitten because I couldn't give two shits about van gogh.

Actually, in reality, I would tell the bitches to go get their own damn crap.

Farmboybob · Post by **Farmboybob** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 4:30 pm

Also, you may get a reward for the painting, but probably not the cat.
I'd save the painting. (just not a big can fan)