Cannibalism and the will to survive
Moderator: Fist and Faith
- Worm of Despite
- Lord
- Posts: 9546
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 7:46 pm
- Location: Rome, GA
- Contact:
Cannibalism and the will to survive
This is an old morality chestnut, but I don't see it in the Close, so here goes.
You and some friends and relatives are stranded in the middle of nowhere or stuck in the mountains--or something. Food runs down to nothing; cannibalism will soon be the only viable option. I pose my question in four scenarios:
a) A friend asks you to eat him/make use of his body if he dies first. He dies first. What do you do?
b) A family member asks you to do the same thing, then dies. What do you do?
c) A family member asks you NOT to eat his/her corpse, but circumstances are very strait, and you will most likely die if you bury him/her. What do you do?
d) You're dying. Do you ask to be used as food or buried?
You and some friends and relatives are stranded in the middle of nowhere or stuck in the mountains--or something. Food runs down to nothing; cannibalism will soon be the only viable option. I pose my question in four scenarios:
a) A friend asks you to eat him/make use of his body if he dies first. He dies first. What do you do?
b) A family member asks you to do the same thing, then dies. What do you do?
c) A family member asks you NOT to eat his/her corpse, but circumstances are very strait, and you will most likely die if you bury him/her. What do you do?
d) You're dying. Do you ask to be used as food or buried?
"I support the destruction of the Think-Tank." - Avatar, August 2008
This is why I always carry a bottle of HP Sauce with me when I'm hiking or mountain biking.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
- Worm of Despite
- Lord
- Posts: 9546
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 7:46 pm
- Location: Rome, GA
- Contact:
- duchess of malfi
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 11104
- Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:20 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
- onewyteduck
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 5453
- Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2004 2:02 am
- Location: On your wall!
You always here stories about people trapped in their cars after going off the road surviving on condiment packets........I always have ketchup and mustard!
Mix 'em together for an quickie bbq sauce, the hubby's leg might not taste so bad!
Damn, time to go rent Cannibal, the Musical again!
Mix 'em together for an quickie bbq sauce, the hubby's leg might not taste so bad!
Damn, time to go rent Cannibal, the Musical again!
Be kind to your web-footed friends, for a duck may be somebody's mother.
- Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 32 times
- Contact:
a ) Eat them
b ) Eat them
c ) More difficult, but if it really is a question of life or death, chances are I'd eat them.
d ) Offer myself as food. If my worthless carcass can save peoples lives after I'm dead, why not? I'm an organ-donor, what difference is it if it's protein I'm donating instead?
--Avatar
b ) Eat them
c ) More difficult, but if it really is a question of life or death, chances are I'd eat them.
d ) Offer myself as food. If my worthless carcass can save peoples lives after I'm dead, why not? I'm an organ-donor, what difference is it if it's protein I'm donating instead?
--Avatar
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 25450
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 9 times
- Been thanked: 57 times
-
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 4048
- Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:20 pm
- Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
- Posts: 25450
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2002 8:14 pm
- Has thanked: 9 times
- Been thanked: 57 times
-
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 4048
- Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:20 pm
- Sheriff Lytton
- Giantfriend
- Posts: 356
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 1:09 am
- Location: Somewhere else
If cannibalism really is the only viable option in these scenarios:
a) I'd probably have killed him myself if I was in such a desperate situation and he was ripe for the taking. I wouldn't want to wait until he died, as he'd lose more weight and probably be a bit on the manky side by then. Consider the fire lit and a foray for vegetables underway.
b) If survival's at stake and it's them or me, I'd kill them and eat them on general principle.
c) Stop bashing the rock into their head and get the dinner going.
d) If I'm lucky then it's a moot point because I've already eaten everyone else. Otherwise, you really may as well eat me. Because I'd sure as hell eat you if I had no other food.
Steer clear of the brains guys...
a) I'd probably have killed him myself if I was in such a desperate situation and he was ripe for the taking. I wouldn't want to wait until he died, as he'd lose more weight and probably be a bit on the manky side by then. Consider the fire lit and a foray for vegetables underway.
b) If survival's at stake and it's them or me, I'd kill them and eat them on general principle.
c) Stop bashing the rock into their head and get the dinner going.
d) If I'm lucky then it's a moot point because I've already eaten everyone else. Otherwise, you really may as well eat me. Because I'd sure as hell eat you if I had no other food.
Steer clear of the brains guys...
"Nom"
I'd eat everyone I could, and do my damndest to avoid being eaten.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
- duchess of malfi
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 11104
- Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:20 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
Since I'm not much of a meat eater, I would pass on the human chops.
However, I wouldn't mind being eaten, if the lives of others truly depended on it. In fact, if the situation really was that desperate, I would probably request to be quickly killed, so as to limit the amount of suffering both for myself, and my hungry comrades.
But
NO PEEPS!!


But
NO PEEPS!!
- Worm of Despite
- Lord
- Posts: 9546
- Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 7:46 pm
- Location: Rome, GA
- Contact:
-
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 4048
- Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:20 pm
- Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 32 times
- Contact:

Which makes me ask, would you eat beef if your survival was at stake?
I'm reminded of a story in Clive Barkers Books of Blood where a guy experiments on his vegetarian girlfriend, to see how long she'll starve before eating meat. He locks her up with only a joint of beef, and tells her that as soon as she eats some, he'll let her go. (He does, but her mind is pretty cracked by then.)
--A
- Sheriff Lytton
- Giantfriend
- Posts: 356
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 1:09 am
- Location: Somewhere else
- drew
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 7877
- Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2004 4:20 pm
- Location: Canada
- Been thanked: 1 time
- Contact:
Watch out Cail, dennis isn't fooling anyone-he misspelled your name that's all!!!dennisrwood wrote:I think I'm taking a different flight than the rest of you. and I bet I could find some yummy veggies wherever we end up. have some kale, it's so good!
I thought you were a ripe grape
a cabernet sauvignon
a bottle in the cellar
the kind you keep for a really long time
a cabernet sauvignon
a bottle in the cellar
the kind you keep for a really long time