Comments on: Would You Kill a Stranger For a Billion Dollars?

By: Azura Clearwater

Azura Clearwater — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 04:32:23 +0000

This is a very black and white question in my eyes, however, my morality is not the same as the next person’s.
I would never kill anyone, for any reason. If it was to save the life of someone I loved, I would take the hit for them. I cannot fathom murdering anyone, let alone a stranger. A stranger whose life and value are not of my knowledge. I could not kill a serial murderer, or even someone trying to kill me. I would simply try to incapacitate them. I would regret taking the life of another for my whole existence. I do not believe in an afterlife, so I don’t know what to say about going to Hell and whatnot. All I know is that I regard the death of any living human to be a sad event. For example, Osama Bin Laden’s death. While I acknowledge the great tragedy and death and horror he had wrought, in my heart I know that he was some mother’s son. Some one some where loved him at some point. Some person will miss him. “No man is an island”. I digress, but what I intend to say is that while the question is intriguing, I think that only the strongest of heart dare kill. To me, to kill enemies or to kill criminals is to sacrifice your heart for the good of yourself and others. I’m not denouncing killing for survival and protection. I am simply saying that one must be prepared for the sadness they shall bring about through death, and evaluate the necessity of bringing that sadness. In life, I think the most important thing of all is to minimize the hurt you cause to others. After all, you can only control yourself.

By: Esti

Esti — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:37:05 +0000

It all comes down to what you vaule more in life. If you value money more, you will kill the stranger for a billion dollars. If you value the strangers life more, than you wont kill the stranger for a billion dollars. If you believe in God and etc, you wont kill for a billion dollars. If you are a Atheist, Agnostic, and etc… you will kill for a billion dollars, depending how you are; as a person.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:09:39 +0000

Interesting. If it were me:

- I would not kill for money or to save the lives of strangers.
- I would kill to save the life of family and perhaps close friends.
- I would not sacrifice my life for strangers.
- I would sacrifice my life for my wife and immediate family.

There is no philosophical reason for my answers. But I think this is how most people would behave if this were a real scenario, regardless of moral stance. The reasons can probably be found in the Richard Dawkins book “The Selfish Gene”.

By: dan

dan — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:45:38 +0000

I think the greater good argument is irrelevant. Pick someone from history who has done something important (Einstein, the guy who discovered penicillin, Jesus, the president, Princess Diana, etc). Since the person you’re killing is a stranger it could be someone just as important. Are you really sure that your greater good is better than what the stranger could potentially do? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, since they’re a stranger you don’t know. Maybe by doing what you think is the greater good it is actually a greater bad.

I’m also not convinced about the 1 life for 100,000 lives. You’re making the assumption that those 100,00 lives are all good people. Chances are that amongst them there would be some murderers, child abusers, rapists, con-man, etc. Would you kill 1 stranger to save another? Who knows if the person you’re killing is good or bad and who knows if the person you’re saving is good or bad.

By: FinancialBondage.org

FinancialBondage.org — Sat, 15 May 2010 22:49:05 +0000

I would not kill anyone for money.

By: James from Tech for the Masses

James from Tech for the Masses — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:00:54 +0000

I have to say this is quite tempting. A Billion dollars for a stranger? That would stretch anyones conscience. I almost want to say yes then spend part of that billion on post traumatic stress therapy. lol But anyway, money don’t buy happiness.

By: Are We Really Doing What We Want To Do With Our Lives? « Thirtysomething Finance

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:54:51 +0000

[...] a sense, this reminds me of Baker’s post over at Man vs. Debt: would you kill a stranger for a billion dollars? I believe that the fact that we even consider this question demonstrates the extent to which [...]

By: Roger

Roger — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:40:38 +0000

Wow, this is a deep, deep question. With regards to the initially posed question, I honestly don’t know. I’d like to believe that I wouldn’t kill for money, even great amounts of it, but unless I find myself in a situation when someone is actually holding the suitcase full of money in front of me (or, I don’t know, had a building containing 100,000 people, that was laced with dynamite and set to explode), I doubt I can say anything for certain. I will say that I think if I were able (or forced) to learn the identity of the person before committing to a course of action, it might make the decision easier. A convicted, death row criminal or octogenarian who wants to die, sure, why not; an innocent nine-year, well, that’s a much tougher call. If it’s just a random stranger, I’d have to play the averages, which gets all the tougher.

Now, if it’s me choosing whether I will die, the decision could be more straightforward; I can judge for myself whether the potential benefits to the world outweigh my existence being extinguished. That’s not to say it would be easier; weighing possible advantages to society vs. my own life is not the sort of calculation that’s easy to make. (Although, both of the situations you suggested, 100,000 lives and 1 billion dollars to charity, seem to sufficient to make me inclined to acquiesce.)

As to why putting a dollar amount into the equation rather than a number of lives makes a difference, I have a few ideas. First, receiving money for ending another person’s life comes off as assassination, even if all the money goes immediately to charity; while ending a life to save others seems more heroic, as if you just snuffed an assassin before he blows up a school bus. Second, while we say that one billion dollars, given to the right charity, can save X number of lives, we have no promise that such a donation will actually do so. Charities are limited by laws, their administrators, and other factors that prevent an easy ‘X Dollars will add Y number of years of life for Z number of people’ calculations. Third, and perhaps most importantly, with money involved there’s always the potential to skim a little off the top for yourself. You think, ‘If I keep just 1%, I’ll be able to supply myself and my family for the rest of our nature lives, and the 990 million I give to charity will be able to save just as many lives.’ There’s a temptation with cash that doesn’t exist with straight ‘kill (or be killed) to save these people’ situations.
.-= Roger´s last blog ..How to get Ahead of the Game: Three Tips for Students =-.

By: Roger

Roger — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:02:07 +0000

Not necessarily; the sad fact is, there are plenty of people in the world who have few, if any, connections to other people. Hermits, misers, elderly people with no surviving family members…the list goes on. It might not be easy, but it would be possible to find someone, somewhere, that nobody would miss if they died. Which of course raises the related question of ‘Would you kill someone who would not be missed for a billion dollars?’
.-= Roger´s last blog ..How to get Ahead of the Game: Three Tips for Students =-.

By: Collection of best personal finance posts

Collection of best personal finance posts — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:18:44 +0000

[...] Would You Kill a Stranger For a Billion Dollars from @ManvsDebt I miss-read this at first, I thought it said a millions dollars. A billion? No question, I’d do it in a second. Wait can I plan it out first so that I actually have a chance to get away with it. Isn’t it funny how this question changes by only a few word? [...]