While skimming through Lila the other day, a terrible scenario occurred to
me. If a chemistry professor and a bum were both trapped in a car that was
about to explode, and I only had time to drag one of them out, who should I
save? Would it be more moral of me to save the chemistry professor, since his
intelligence is much greater than the bum's intelligence? If I saved the bum
instead of the chemistry professor, wouldn't I be saving the person with less
Quality, therefore committing an immoral act? If I saved a dog instead of a
human, that would be immoral in anyone's eyes (anyone other than the dog). If
I saved the dog, I would be saving the lower life form. So if I saved the
bum, since he's less intelligent than the chemistry professor, wouldn't I be
saving the lower life form?
And then another twist occurred to me. What if this bum, who is roughly the
same age as the chemistry professor, is a friend of mine? What if this bum
had somehow saved *my* life a few years ago? Wouldn't I be morally compelled
to save him instead of the chemistry professor, despite the fact that he is a
lower life form? Any comments welcome.
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