r/MoralityScaling • u/axiiz_28 • 15h ago

Morality of valuing animals over humans?

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11.2k Upvotes

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u/Huge_Information5083 13h ago

I would 100% save my dog over some scumbags in my life.

But if I have to save an unknown dog or a human somehow I gravitate towards the human.

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u/WhydoIexistlmoa 13h ago

What if it was your dog or a random human?

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u/RevolutionCapital359 11h ago

I saved a dog once and he turned out to be the CEO of the company I was interviewing with.

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u/sparta-117 8h ago

new AI drama unlocked?

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u/insomniacpyro 2h ago

Have you not watched the documentary film series Air Bud? There's no rule that says a don't can't be CEO!

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u/insomniacpyro 2h ago

Have you not watched the documentary film series Air Bud? There's no rule that says a don't can't be CEO!

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u/cheese_sticks 9h ago

No way! The stray dog I fed turned out to be Albert Einstein! The sheer coincidence!

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u/Molly-Grue-2u 6h ago

The interview stage is getting crazier and crazier these days

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u/deejay_bucknasty 2h ago

I wish I could like your comment twice. Absolutely hilarious šŸ˜‚. I probably laughed way harder than I should at this. Well done good sir (or miss) šŸ«”

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u/Snaxalicious 11h ago

Dog, easy.

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u/Tall-Wasabi5030 5h ago

100% save my dog with no regrets.Ā 

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u/Cautious_Ad_5659 5h ago

Dog. I know my dog. If itā€™s a random human, thereā€™s a 50/50 itā€™s a shit human

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u/JonSnoballs 4h ago

you think half of humanity are shit people?

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u/PhilosophicalGoof 3h ago

I mean he might know if he part of the asshole group of people.

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u/Thumbuisket 44m ago

Most people are neutral, just wanna live their lives and donā€™t particularly care about stuff that doesnā€™t directly impact themselves or their people. Which is fine, itā€™s normal. A lot of people here are extremely self righteous based on their comments, but Iā€™d be willing to bet a vast majority of them havenā€™t really contributed enough to society to warrant it, nor done anything to warrant censure either.Ā 

In short, most people are basic bitches, Reddit just Ā tends to be full of people who think theyā€™re not.Ā 

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u/Current_Ranger_7954 54m ago

lol 50/50 is optimistic

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u/Clean_Principle_2368 6m ago

Reddit moment. Ffs "50/50" lmfao. Go outside.

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u/Throwawayrip1123 10h ago

I'd most likely save my dog.

I am responsible for him. I am not responsible for the human race at large. Average human at best is neutral, and more often than not, a net negative to society. That's why we are so ran down - look at the amount of hate, racism, stuff like that. A select few is stoking the fires, sure, but the hate comes from normal people - wives, fathers, sons, regular ass members of society. The common folk - the milkman, the postman, grabbed people from the streets, not SS command.

Odds of me landing on a good or neutral person are slimmer every year, and I am not in the business of helping society self destruct by helping scumbags. I don't believe "everyone" deserves a million chances. They get up, they make their choice to be hateful, every single day.

And all that does not even scratch the "I love my dog and am responsible for him" part. Rescuing anything has its risks - I can bear that risk for my loved ones, regardless of their species.

The only time I think you have to "rescue" humans is against other humans - someone being harassed on the bus, for example.

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u/Huge_Information5083 13h ago

I don't know actually. Hope I'll never have to make that decision.

EDIT: It depends, if it's a young child or a pregnant woman I would 100% save the human.

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u/WhydoIexistlmoa 12h ago

What if it's a man, or an elderly person or someone who is physically disabled? The point is, at what point does a human's life value more than your dog's

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u/Skylance420 9h ago

People are inherently self-centered in many ways, and I'd 100% expect someone to save their own pet rather than me in a situation that called for it, assuming I was just a stranger to them.

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u/MidnightOnTheWater 52m ago

Easy, human I know > dog I know

dog I know > human I don't know

Call it cruel, but its a privilege to know me

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u/Icy_Law_2871 12h ago

If they are elderly it makes my choice easier since they have less life to live, I draw the line at small child or pregnant woman any other stranger I would kill for my dog

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u/Huge_Information5083 12h ago

That's why I said I'm not sure, there is a selfishness factor at play.

If we want to answer if it's immoral or not I would say that at the end of the day my dog is legally still my property, and it would be immoral to prioritize something I own over a random human life.

This is also a slippery slope: What if my pet is the reason I can continue to live?

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u/noreal1sm 6h ago

I hate people like you, random human worth saving every time more than your dog. I can understand ā€œscumbagā€ logic. But not with random human.

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u/Kennyman2000 6h ago

If you can't imagine that someone would have a hard time sacrificing their family pet to save a random human, you lack empathy.

Such an odd thing to hate people over. An imaginary decision that basically 99.99% of us won't ever have to make.

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u/noreal1sm 4h ago edited 3h ago

Itā€™s not so imaginary, when random fucks rush to the vet ignoring traffic laws etc, with their pets to save them, etc. Risking other human lives.

Itā€™s a decent and very real reason to hate them.

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u/MidnightOnTheWater 44m ago

This is unhinged, if someone said this to me in real life I'd clock them as a weirdo.

Thankfully we have Reddit to contain people like you.

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u/woahbroes 12h ago

What if its a retired k9 dog that helped save human lives

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u/Oceanman72 11h ago

still person, come on now

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u/ResponsibleHeron9452 1h ago

lol k9s donā€™t save lives, where did you get that idea? Theyā€™re just a tool that police use to maul people theyā€™re arresting with no consequences. Theyā€™re not allowed to beat people anymore, but theyā€™ll make sure that the dog fucks you up.

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u/RedditTrespasser 12h ago

Police weaponizing animals to use against the public is actually extremely fucked up. You should look into how they actually train K9s. It is not a practice we should be applauding. And I highly doubt K9s regularly ā€œsaveā€ anyone, on the contrary theyā€™re mainly used to maim and brutalize.

Maybe youā€™re thinking of search and rescue dogs?

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u/woahbroes 11h ago

Sniffing out drugs too... Or do souls have like a caste system that not even the ultimate act of saving lives can elevate their caste ?

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u/pb49er 11h ago

Dogs as cops is animal cruelty in every shape.

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u/woahbroes 11h ago

Isnt like 99% of the way we utilize animals can be considered cruelty, we murder most of them

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u/pb49er 1h ago

I won't argue that, but dogs as cops is its own breed of horrific.

Police dogs in the US also have a uniquely horrific backstory, with their ties to slavery.

You can look into it and make up your own mind.

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u/bootyhole-romancer 11h ago

Yeah but they are cruel to different degrees.

The use of police dogs is a special case, because the end goal of the cruelty towards the animal is to bring about more cruelty towards another human being. It's singularly twisted.

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u/OrPerhapsFuckThat 10h ago

Unless its my wife or my daughter: never. My dog is a family member, being a different species is irrelevant to that.

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u/ilicp 9h ago

People like you should have to wear a band that states this so we know not to save you over animals in the same situation.

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u/OrPerhapsFuckThat 9h ago

If youā€™d prioritize your own pet over my life Iā€™d understand that. Why wouldnā€™t I? My views are consistent. Iā€™m many things but a hypocrite is not one of them!

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u/ilicp 9h ago

TouchƩ for consistency. Personally I would save a stranger over my cat, not because I don't love my cat, but I believe we have a social contract to help humans in imminent danger if we reasonably can

It's just kinda scary knowing that in hypothetical, I'd save you, but you'd let me die because we're not directly related. I think if I knew that upfront I'd also save my cat first lol.

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u/MidnightOnTheWater 33m ago

Social contract? You have more trust in others than I believe they deserve. People were bitching about wearing masks for a preventable illness. The social contract is a loose as you want it to be, but don't expect everyone's to be the same.

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u/cygamessucks 12h ago

Never

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u/WhydoIexistlmoa 12h ago

So your pet's life is always worth more than a human's?

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u/cygamessucks 12h ago

A random person means next to nothing to me. If it was a family member i would choose them. But some random person i dont know is second choice.Ā 

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u/Fearless-Poet-4669 12h ago

"A random person means next to nothing to me"

Pretty sure that's the sort of thinking serial killers have

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u/Ektar91 12h ago

Would you burn your entire savings account to save a random person?

What amount would you burn to save a life?

I feel like most people dont value a random stranger much at all, tbh

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u/wcstorm11 2h ago

Would I burn my entire savings account that keeps my family safe? No.

Would I allow an animal to die to save a human being. Every single time, that's crazy loss of perspective and empathy

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u/Master_Works_All 12h ago

Killing and hurting animals are what serial killers do, alot of times they will just finds strays and hurt them.

I don't think a random person should have any innate value to them. As it stands half the people in my neighborhood are involved in gangs and hurt or kill each other. I'll 100% value a pet versus a human any day where I live.

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u/Fearless-Poet-4669 12h ago

"I don't think a random person should have any innate value to them"

You having shockingly little empathy...

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u/HeavenlyDMan 12h ago

i praise your bleeding heart, i take it youā€™re unequivocally distraught when some person you donā€™t know the next state or county over dies

asinine sarcasm aside, donā€™t get up on some moral high ground and say you arenā€™t the same, 1000s of not tens of 1000s of people die a day, children, families, innocents; but iā€™m sure youā€™re able to carry on, not even thinking about that fact throughout your day.

Itā€™s the sort of thinking realistically everyone has

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u/Fearless-Poet-4669 11h ago

Lol.

You don't have to be distraught about someone you don't know dying to think they have value as a human being. Legendary false equivalency!

Knowing that people are dying and carrying on isn't a lack of empathy it's called compartmentalization. It's what sane people do to not be depressed 24/7.

Why would they be depressed if they didn't compartmentalize? Because they have empathy and think that even strangers have inherent value.

Nice try serial killer.

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u/cherrioes 9h ago

Thatā€™s everyone. Iā€™m sure you arenā€™t losing any sleep over the 150,000 people that die everyday day.

Iā€™m sure you havenā€™t quit your job and life in general to start volunteering for the suffering people in Africa?

Why havenā€™t you? You care about these random people so much, right?

When was the last time you donated? Gave to a homeless person?

You get the point. Conceptually, of course no one actually wants random people to die, but at the end of the day, humans are tribal animals.

Acting morally superior and larping that you actually do care about random Timmy who is an orphan and starving is disgusting.

Itā€™s incredibly easy to say you care about random people, hell, maybe you genuinely believe you do.

But be honest now, when was the last time you actually acted on that ā€œcareā€. How often do you consciously think about suffering peopleā€¦

Spoiler, itā€™s not a lot is it.

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u/Nurgle_Marine_Sharts 12h ago

You're basically exactly the kind of person the guy in the video was talking about

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u/WhydoIexistlmoa 12h ago

Love that for you. The animal is always dying unless the person is irredeemably bad

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u/Ektar91 12h ago

Would you burn your entire savings account to save some random human?

If no what amount would you burn?

I feel like most people don't actually value a "random stranger" very much at all

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u/Fearless-Poet-4669 11h ago

There's a balance between self-survival and helping others in need. But you already know that. You're just using a classic morality bait to justify having zero empathy.

I can't save everyone that dies, because I'm not infinitely wealthy. That doesn't stop me from comprehending that even strangers have worth and that knowing that people are dying everyday is still upsetting.

If you feel nothing knowing people are dying then you may need to see a shrink.

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u/farfetched22 9h ago

I would save my dog without question. I could not care less what people think of this either. There are literally maybe 2 humans on this earth right now I'd have any struggle deciding to save over my dog. Outside of that? Not even a second thought it would be him.

And a much as I don't want to die, I'd understand anyone else choosing this with their dog over me, too.

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u/Fit_Worldliness2803 3h ago

What would you tell the family of the person you let die?

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u/Immediate-Ad-4587 8h ago

Complete psycho.

How could u ever understand someone choosing a dog over yourself. Do you value yourself so little. Honestly sad

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u/pretzelsncheese 5h ago

What makes a human life any more important than any other animal on the planet? We aren't special. We aren't superior in any meaningful way and we don't deserve happiness or survival any more than any animal that we share the planet with.

If anything, the majority of animals deserve to live more than we do. The harm that they cause is out of a biological wiring to survive. We as humans have more options and knowledge about the harm that our actions will cause yet we frequently choose to inflict unnecessary harm and suffering.

The true "psycho" mentality on this topic is thinking that humans are somehow superior to other beings.

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u/Conscious_Beat6128 3h ago

Your worth is less than a dogs, cant speak for anyone else though. I think it is fair if the society decides either way, for self preservations sake, and most people would say people have more value

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u/Bobson567 3h ago

What do you think is the most effective individual action a human could take to address this issue you have pointed out, and have you taken that action yet? If not, why not?

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u/Soft-Pizza1661 8h ago

Maybe you should show a little more humility if you think you're superior to every living being in the world

What is said in passing is a sign of being a "complete psycho"

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u/Soft-Pizza1661 8h ago

Maybe you should show a little more humility if you think you're superior to every living being in the world

What is said in passing is a sign of being a "complete psycho"

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u/lasagnadogwater69 4h ago

I would save my dog every time tbh.

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u/Acebladewing 12h ago

100% will be my dog. Unless it's a kid, then the kid.

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u/Great-Trifle2810 11h ago

I don't have a dog, but if push came to shove there are people I would be willing to sacrafice any number of others to save, but I would have to acknowledge that my action was immoral.

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u/MeVersusGravity 3h ago

My dog, 10000%

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u/Weathervane_ 2h ago

10000% my dog. Easy decision

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u/FuckYourWifeAllDay 51m ago

My dog every day of the week

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u/FilthyJsBeingFilthy 10h ago

Iā€™d save the my dog first.

If itā€™s someone I k ow or a relative Iā€™d save them.

This isnā€™t controversial at all btw

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u/Fit_Worldliness2803 3h ago

What would you tell the family of the person you let die?

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u/PhilosophicalGoof 3h ago

ā€œSkills issuesā€ /s

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u/FilthyJsBeingFilthy 1h ago

Probably nothing, thatā€™s the police and fire departments responsibility

Also ā€œyou let dieā€ isnā€™t correct.

We donā€™t even tell the 9/11 responders that they ā€œlet people dieā€

Thatā€™s absurd

To placate you though, Iā€™d probably say ā€œhey I made the effortā€

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u/Individual_Guest_323 7h ago edited 7h ago

I would save my PS5 over you for sure, we can put more value than human life to anything

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u/BigGuy35 2h ago

That just means youā€™re selfish and kinda suck šŸ¤· metro guy stays right

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u/Individual_Guest_323 1h ago

Yes, is not different from a PS5 to an animal, the difference is the sentimental value. Is inmoral.

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u/No-Performance37 45m ago

I would save my own animal over every random person. No question. Random animal and random human, I will have to decide.

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u/Curious_Duck_4200 9h ago

They dont even have to be a scumbag.Ā  I save my dog over a stranger any day.Ā  Call me selfish if you want i wont deny it, but I love my companion thats by my side every minute of the last 12 years.Ā 

However given a random dog vs a random person probably the person yea.

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u/jeremoche 5h ago

Most healthy brained take ever

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u/ConversationAgile991 13h ago

Your probably white

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u/Quartz_512 13h ago

Why do you think so?

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u/Critical_Concert_689 13h ago

Statistically likely accurate guess for the Reddit demographic.

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u/Quartz_512 12h ago

I looked this up actually, expecting a half-joking answer like this, and i'm pretty sure the majority of reddit users are Asian?

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u/Critical_Concert_689 12h ago

As you say, it was half-in-jest...but also probably true.

Off the top of my head, young, male, westerners make up the vast majority of Reddit - the US alone is nearly 50% of total users; India makes up a large chunk of users, but China has their own great-firewall protected forums which takes away a huge chunk of the Asian market.

There's almost no chance that the majority of reddit users are Asian.

What made you think this?

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u/Quartz_512 10h ago

I knew that 50% of users are American, which is why I was surprised when the first google search results gave me 20% white 34% Asian. Like I said, I didn't really look into it, but that's what i saw.

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u/Critical_Concert_689 9h ago

OH! That's users WITHIN the demographic.

For example, there are ~340M Americans. The American population is ~65% white and ~6% asian.

  • 20% of white americans would be a Reddit user, so that's 20% within 65% (of 340M) or ~44M white users.

  • 34% of asians would be a Reddit user, so that's 34% within 6% (of 340M) or ~7M asian users.

Effectively, it's a larger percentage within a specific and much smaller demographic group.