Can there be a decision tougher than choosing between the deaths of millions and the deaths of billions?

Of course - it becomes merely a matter of numbers, not people. The hard decisions are ones such as "if we blow up this terrorist controlled plane we kill 200 innocent people, but if we don't it *might* (but we are not sure) land at an airport with a bomb killing thousands".

or might not kill anyone supplicant...just depends on the situation...i mean, do you shoot a plane down..killing 3 bad guys and 150 innocent passengers...or do you take a chance of letting it land..and defusing the situation?

Where do you bring them?

do the math, it's not hard

millions and billions of what?

Wait, that's not a hard decision at all!

A hypothetical would have helped to illustrate exactly what you mean with this question.

Perspective, I say.

Millions and billions are such abstract concepts to me anyway... I'd just do the math and let billions live.

It gets a lot more poignant when I have to choose between one person who is close to me and a bunch who are not.

Other:
this survey is so....vague
who are these people and why do I care?

The question is a little confusing, too. But, then, I'm easily confused.

"the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few....or the one."

Yes: choosing between the deaths of billions and the deaths of other billions. Or millions and millions. Or heck, one single person or another single person. When the numbers are so different, though, the choice isn't really a choice at all.

There are far tougher choices, like:
-What sort of random, open-ended questions should I ask on S.C. today?
-Does this new S.C. login name make me look fat?

grmbrand: LOL :)

yes. which shoes to wear.

Depends on which millions. If they are my millions, then yes, it is a tough choice. Otherwise it is easy.

magbast: Isn't that what she was saying?

drdt..i was simply saying that there might be an instance where no one is killed...i guess it *was* parallel to what sup was saying...

Doing the right thing versus saving your own ass.

It is kind of like this true story I read about a Holocaust survivor. She was forced to pick between having 2 out 3 of her children killed or just one. If she didn't choose they would all die. I think it is the same idea.

Even with the personal factor that sounds easy. Sure it wasn't that she had to chose the child to die or else they'd chose two? That would be hard.

Lauren: Was that the basis for Sophie's Choice?

I kill millions and billions every day and it doesn't bother me in the least. What are you talking about?