Poll: Would you wipe out a culture?

[awesomeClaw]

Let´s say that there was a culture/religion in this world.

This culture/religon has invented many great things and done many great things. (Ex: Painted a new Mona Lisa, donated a lot of money to charity etc)
However, within this group exists extremists. Terrible people who kill those who do not share their beliefs.

Let´s say the only way to destroy these extremists is to wipe out the culture that sorrounds them. In this culture exists 1 million people.
If you wipe out the culture, all those people will die, plus all the things they will and have contributed with will be destroyed.
However, if you don´t, the extremists that surronds the culture will kill 10 million people before the culture matures and extremists can be stopped before they develop.

So, what would you do?

Personally, i don´t know. It´s so tough a question.

 

[JoJo]

I'd say yes, because that way less people die.

 

[dududf]

Well we are into the millions, so everything is all statistics.

I'd kill off that culture.

 

[Cowabungaa]

An extensive network of infiltrators, Special Forces and various police agencies should root out those extremists before they can do any real damage.

I mean really, the only way to stop them is to commit genocide. Really? Who thought of that criteria?

 

[Pandaman1911]

If the number of people saved exceeds the number of people killed, then yes. That's like paying ten dollars to get a hundred versus NOT paying ten dollars and then LOSING a hundred. It's numbers, plain and simple.
Plus that gives me an excuse- "THE NUMBERS TOLD ME TO KILL YOU!"

 

[Crazy_Dude]

With killing 1 million I am saving 10 million lives equalling in a net win of 9 million.

Yes I would do it no questions asked.

 

[Sion_Barzahd]

Not at all, eliminating an entire culture is never correct. There will always be extremists no matter how "mature" a culture becomes, they will usually not be stopped.

 

[Lawyer105]

Not at all, eliminating an entire culture is never correct. There will always be extremists no matter how "mature" a culture becomes, they will usually not be stopped.

True... but some extremists are people like the WBC. Total bastards... but ultimately, they're not exactly conducting 9/11. Other extremists are not so nice.

Given the above criteria (which are completely unrealistic, I'll admit...) - kill 1m, save 10m - this is an absolute nobrainer for me. Hell yes.

 

[Sinspiration]

Is this even worth answering?
What exactly are you trying to get at here?
Is there a reason you're picking on religious extremism itself?
How do you know you're not the kind of religious extremist you're describing?
Do you even realize you dont have to be a religious extremist to kill millions of other people?

Are you trying to justify the destruction of an entire culture just to get at some extremists?
Are you trying to tally up how many people are was vicious or cowardly as you'd like to believe?

Are you just wasting peoples time with a pointless moral dilemma that could cause some people offence?

Surely there's some more intelligent thing you could do with your time if you have enough of it to come up with something as ridiculous as this?

I'd be impressed if all of that could be answered truthfully, but the cynic in me says you could still be lying no matter what you say, so good luck with that, really.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Why is it not possible to to "remove" all the extremists?

 

[Lawyer105]

Why is it not possible to to "remove" all the extremists?

'Cause the politically correct, multicultural nancy's won't let you risk offending the extremists by implying that their beliefs are BS?

 

[zen5887]

Wouldn't that then make me an extremist?

I mean.. Getting rid of an entire culture of people to get to a few?

Nofuckingway!

 

[ProfessorLayton]

'Cause the politically correct, multicultural nancy's won't let you risk offending the extremists by implying that their beliefs are BS?

I can offend whoever the hell I want to if it would save lives. That's my choice.

 

[awesomeClaw]

Is this even worth answering?
What exactly are you trying to get at here?
Is there a reason you're picking on religious extremism itself?
How do you know you're not the kind of religious extremist you're describing?
Because i´m an atheist. True, i might still be an "extremists" but not a religious extremists.
Do you even realize you dont have to be a religious extremist to kill millions of other people?

Ofcourse i do.

Are you trying to justify the destruction of an entire culture just to get at some extremists?
When did i say that?


Are you trying to tally up how many people are was vicious or cordly as you'd like to believe?
What?

Are you just wasting peoples time with a pointless moral dilemma that could cause some people offence?

Bingo!

Surely there's some more intelligent thing you could do with your time if you have enough of it to come up with something as ridiculous as this?
Yes, probably, but i don´t want to.

I'd be impressed if all of that could be answered truthfully, but the cynic in me says you could still be lying no matter what you say, so good luck with that, really.
That´s the wonder of internet conversation, you don´t know if people are lying. You´ll just have to take my word.

 

[teknoarcanist]

This question loses validity with the arbitrary numbers of one and ten million automatically pushing the logic to one side.

In the real world equivalent (yes, we all know what you're referring to) things are not so black-and-white or easy to quantify.

 

[Lawyer105]

I can offend whoever the hell I want to if it would save lives. That's my choice.

Oh really?? You just try saying "The majority of violent terrorist acts are perpetrated by nominally Islamic forces" and see how quickly that gets you banned, fired, sued, jailed or whatever is appropriate for the place where you said it...

Sorry... but the way things are going in America and Europe today, offence only goes one way...

 

[varulfic]

No, absolutely not. I'm not gonna be cutting off my foot to get rid of an ingrown toenail.

Of course this theoretical scenarios is kinda rigged since it starts with hindsight. In reality, you couldn't know beforehand that 10 million people would be killed. I'd rather look for a third option.

 

[awesomeClaw]

This question loses validity with the arbitrary numbers of one and ten million automatically pushing the logic to one side.

In the real world equivalent (yes, we all know what you're referring to) things are not so black-and-white or easy to quantify.

Let´s not bring up the real world equivalent here please. This thread would inevitably crash and burn if we do.

 

[GeorgW]

In your scenario, no. You said it gets better later, so all's well that ends well I guess. That's assuming the culture actually did or will do something I give a crap about, and not just paint a new Mona Lisa (I never liked the first one...).
IRL: Hellz yes, pretty much all of them. I hate humanity. I know, depressing, but what can you do?