Life is sacred

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Ain't that a stock phrase? But it seems that people saying that would often disagree with each other about which life is sacred.

So, here is the super question.

I don't agree with any of those.

I think that systems are sacred to the extent that they have subjective experience, and I believe that systems have subjective experience to the extent that they are like a human brain. So, humans and comparable alien life-forms are very sacred. Animals are a little bit sacred. Plants are barely sacred at all.

where does that put digitally manifested human like intelligences?

btw. i like your answer, the notion that we are systems, to be judged as such, is refreshing, to me at least.

What kind of life is "sacred"?

ruveyn

Only plushies are sacred, as they live on love and cuddles.

I feel all life is sacred!
Meaning nobody has the right to abuse any living creature.
For example if anyone ever intentionally stepped on a lizard to kill it
in front of me I would knock their teeth out!! !! !! !!

I'll leave this thread in the more than capable hands of the late Mr Carlin.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvF1Q3UidWM[/youtube]

With respect, Mr Carlin is not very capable when it comes to these matters. He is treating "life is sacred" as if it is supposed to be an objective fact. But very few people would claim that. Rather, we claim that it is a normative consensus that we are proud to be a part of.

This Carlinish way of thinking is silly, which you can see if you move to other examples. Imagine if someone came up to you on the street and said, "Did you realise that there is no such objective thing as the United Nations? We just made it up! It's all just made up!" you would probably immediately spot that he had made a category mistake.

I think all units of happiness/non-suffering/utility are sacred. I prefer utility because I find it very vague and total. If killing a plant increases the total level, fine. If killing an animal increases it, okay. If killing a fetus increases it, absolutely no problem. If killing a grown human beings increases it, very well. Obviously, at least the last three, and maybe the first as well, necessarily cause some negative utility by hypothesis, but if it is compensated by a greater amount of positive utility, there you go.

There is obviously a problem in defining and, especially, in quantifying this, however.

everything is sacred.

this is really a poll about abortion.

I am against my babies being aborted, as far as I am concerned you guys can do what you want as long as its in the first few weeks of development or under extenuating circumstances. That seems the most sensible way.

It is a complex issue that needs to be reviewed case by case.

This poll is so ridiculous I am not going to bother answering it.

The thing that kills me is when people blather on about the sacredness of a fetus, yet do nothing to care about the human that results from it and the quality of their life afterwards. i.e. my ex-friend. He totally blathered on for his ex to not abort, then when he realized the kid was special needs, totally dropped out of that kid's life and became a deadbeat (obviously this was the deciding factor for ending our friendship). And this is better, how? I also think she's a sub-par mom on the fritz considering she never wanted this kid to begin with. You can't MAKE someone want a kid. And now a kid has to further suffer because of it.

The way I view it, this is a very personal decision (yes, decision) for the WOMAN. There is no easy option no matter how someone slices it. Raise a kid, that's a lot to do, and even just financially. If you're like me and place a child for adoption, I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly difficult that is. Not everyone can do that because of attachment issues (even if they're NOT bitten by the mothering bug there is still that there-- and no, when she was born, I didn't magically develop my desire to mother either, don't get me wrong, I still love her, but it's not in the cards considering it's a good day if I can handle my world around me). And don't you dare sanctify me telling me that every woman can do this instead of abortion-- there aren't endless adoptive parents in this world either. And keep in mind, that, genetically you still run the risk of making a kid who is not NT-- and that quite narrows down the selection of prospective adoptive parents too. My birthdaughter is fullblown nonverbal autie. I lucked out on finding a good family, but not very many people do and there are tons of horror stories out there (if something like that happened to my birthdaughter, I could NEVER forgive myself). I think some people are utmost unrealistic about these things. It must be easy for people to talk about something when it doesn't directly involve them. If for some reason I end up pregnant again, I'll more than likely take notice earlier from knowing the symptoms, let's just say I don't think I can do the whole adoption thing all over again. It was hard enough the first time. And that was with good circumstances. I don't think I would be so lucky next time.

p.s. I can see someone replying to me with a "well, if I..."... Well, that's YOU. If you're so against abortion then don't get one. Kinda like how I tell those ignorant people who are against gay marriage to not to get with a gay person if it bothers them so incredibly bad. Duh. Common. Sense. Separation of church and state. Obviously some people failed government class if they're from the US. Some people in the country are not of your religion (when strangely this constitution touts "freedom of religion!"), and would not like to be bound to your religion ball and chain (when I already had enough of that stuff growing up). Now go on your merry way.

p.p.s before someone calls me a slut for my viewpoint, I've been intimate with a grand total of one guy in my life, who I've been in a relationship with for the last 11 years. Now go sit down.

all life is sacred.

no one (in the whole universe no matter what "IQ") can build a mosquito that can reproduce and is "living" (conscious). to remove those lives from existence is only acceptable if they wish to feed on you.

all life is sacred in my opinion.

what counts as life in that statement?

stuff dies to keep other stuff alive all the time,
would natural excuses work? ie the lion has to eat?
cant the same then by extension be used to argue for anything?

Yet you wrote a whole post. Ok.

You forgot to include aspies as sacred, therefore, I was unable to answer your poll.

Are you a strict quantitative utilitarian like Bentham, or do you think that some goods are worth more than others like J.S. Mill?

What is your take on the sadistic guards analogy, where a large group of prison guards take great pleasure in beating, raping and brutally murdering a single prisoner? Or throwing a small group of Christians to the lions in Rome for the amusement of a crowd of tens of thousands?