if you could go back in time and kill Hitler before he killed anyone, would you?
the catch is that you would have to take his place and kill half as many people as he did.
2007-03-29 08:54:45 · 20 answers · asked by philosophizer 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
by doing this you cut the # of dead people in half.
2007-03-29 09:01:02 · update #1
Do I get to choose who dies? Like, fat chicks and guys taller than me and stuff?
2007-03-29 08:58:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
I guess so. It would have saved millions of life. Depending on how you count, that would be between 25 mio (death toll of WWII is at 50 mio) and 3 mio (6 mio jews killed in holocaust). Either way, that's a really really big city or even country full of people saved, so I guess the sacrifice of replacing Hitler would be worth the gain.
However, you could also argue that it wouldn't save any life at all, because technically Hitler killed only one person: himself.
2007-03-29 16:19:06 · answer #2 · answered by Dr. Zaius 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think my pride and reputation is definitely worth saving half the people that Hitler killed. I would never want to kill anyone, but given killing half and taking responsibility over having Hitler kill all of them, I would have to set aside my pride and live with the knowledge that I was saving millions of people.
Tough Question, but anyone with a soul would have to save people.
Also if someone says that it is murder and wrong and choose not to kill Hitler, are they responsible for the additional people that Hitler is going to kill. I say yes, if you have an opportunity to save 3 million people take it, nobodies pride or sense of self righteousness is worth the lives of 3 million people. Even if my eternal salvation was at stake, I would choose to save the 3 million. That seems like the kind and just thing to do.
But then I am not like God who chooses to allow people to die and suffer everyday.
2007-03-29 16:00:51 · answer #3 · answered by ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Blessed Cheese Maker 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, because it would have such a wide ripple effect on world history that it's impossible to tell whether it would be overall a "good" thing to do.
Yes, it would save the lives of three million Jews, not to mention the countless thousands who died in the war. But you also have to think about the geopolitical alliances and the cultural shifts and the technological advances that came about as a direct result of the war, and what the effect would be on them, as well.
To paraphrase The Doctor, "I know that although Hitler will create havoc and destruction for years, I know also, that out of his evil, must come something good."
2007-03-29 16:17:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, especially if I have to then kill people. By adding the second part, you make the choice easy. I did not kill the people that Hitler killed and there are many that suffer that I cannot help; there always will be. But to make the choice to kill 3 million people (at least) is to destroy myself and give myself up to evil. I choose no.
2007-03-29 15:58:50 · answer #5 · answered by michaelblog 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have seen a very similar question before.
The problem is that you would create a paradox. If you alter something that significant in hisory, you alter a lot about the future, including your existance. It could come down to your grandparents listening to the radio for a minute about WWII just before your parents were concieved.
Morally, no. What is done is done. It was a terrible thing, but I could never kill anyone unless it was to defend my family or myself. I couldn't.
2007-03-29 16:02:29 · answer #6 · answered by RedE1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
nope, killing Hitler before hand wouldn't have done that much good. He had too many followers that would have just taken his place and it would have just escalated the violence and given him more support. But...after the holocaust started and if I didn't have to kill anybody but him and his followers then yep, I sure would.
2007-03-29 16:00:51 · answer #7 · answered by Chrissy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good one! You'd be seen as evil even though you were the good one. Parallels with Satan here? Who's the say Hitler didn't do what he did for a similar deal? I would have to say yes, but I would also not invade Russia, Poland or France.
2007-03-29 16:01:35 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If we could keep going back and forth in time, eventually we'd get to the point where we'd only kill like 1 person, and we'd kill ourself and be done with it, hypothetically.
2007-03-29 16:04:27 · answer #9 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What he did was sad, what's also sad is that he had plenty of others help him. I don't think I could and I don't know that I'm persuasive enough to get others to.
2007-03-29 16:07:38 · answer #10 · answered by strpenta 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. But GOD told one of HIS men one time that if somebody hada' taken out Hitler BEFOR he gained so much power, it wouldn't of been like it was.
Might of meant no WW2.?
Don't know, that is all I heard.
One of his generals tried to blow him up, it failed.
2007-03-29 16:01:56 · answer #11 · answered by maguyver727 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋