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[Aqizzar]

Lo and behold, TVTropes has a page for exactly this question; I'm surprised I'm the person to link to it.  Every moment of every day that Superman isn't busy saving somebody, somebody he could have saved is dying.  While he is busy saving somebody, he's in one place at one time and someone else is dying.  Every dollar that Oskar Schindler spent on his family was a dollar he didn't spend saving a Jew's life.  Every moment of every day that that surgeon isn't operating on someone, a person somewhere he could have operated on is dying.  And if he retires, everyone he ever could have saved now has to hope some other miracle worker comes along.

The grand point of it is, you can't think about it too much or you'll drive yourself crazy.  But people will blame you for it, when you not being there effects someone they care about.  And every time you actually see someone suffer because you weren't there at the critical moment, you'll feel terrible about it.  Just remember, you're not God, and what happens happens.  Do the best you can, and try not to tie yourself in knots over what you could have done.

[Blade_Train3r]

I say take a break. Exhaustion induced mistakes cost more lives and induce more blame than a vacation where you at least theoretically have a substitute.

This somehow makes me think of Monster (not the movie, the manga/anime). If he hadn't saved Johan's life, many deaths would have been avoided later.

[Strife26]

Interesting answers. I'm surprised that I didn't recall the Trope page for it, especially considering I'd apparently visited that page since the last time I wiped my browser's history.

[Zangi]

Morally? Sure, why not.

Logically, yea the surgeon can damn well take his vacation. If the job sucks, he can damn well quit anytime he pleases.  Well, if the surgeon is financially set at least...
The 2nd-rate surgeons can use some practice, the surgeon won't be around forever.

[Armok]

No. He cannot take a break, ignoring it actually impairing his ability to work. Ivn then, he cant take more than the exact minimum calculated to keep him from collapsing.

And neither can you. Everyone here who does not send all their efforts on making the world a better place, are murderers.Yes, that includes YOU. Make up all the rationalizations you want, you CAN make a difference, it might no help to just throw money around you randomly, but there ARE charities that actually work, and a few hours of research will find them. There are a myriad things you can do to save lives and prevent suffering, and evry thing that comes to pass because of your inaction or ignorance is exactly equally as much your fault as if you had done it cold-bloodedly and with your bare hands.

You people are killing others out of laziness and convenience, and trying to convince others to do the same. **** you.

[Pathos]

You people are killing others out of laziness and convenience, and trying to convince others to do the same. **** you.

Yeah, guys, you should all be tools to make everyone else's life better. Don't bother with yourself, because it's everyone else that matters.

To be honest, my philosophy is merely that I am the most important person in the world to me, and I expect the same of everyone else. Before anyone asks any questions like, "What about your family?" etc etc, come on. You can answer those yourself, I'm not a sociopath.

[Vester]

No. He cannot take a break, ignoring it actually impairing his ability to work. Ivn then, he cant take more than the exact minimum calculated to keep him from collapsing.

And neither can you. Everyone here who does not send all their efforts on making the world a better place, are murderers.Yes, that includes YOU. Make up all the rationalizations you want, you CAN make a difference, it might no help to just throw money around you randomly, but there ARE charities that actually work, and a few hours of research will find them. There are a myriad things you can do to save lives and prevent suffering, and evry thing that comes to pass because of your inaction or ignorance is exactly equally as much your fault as if you had done it cold-bloodedly and with your bare hands.

You people are killing others out of laziness and convenience, and trying to convince others to do the same. **** you.

Not this again.

ARMOK, STOP KILLING PEOPLE. EVERY TIME YOU POST ON THIS FORUM YOU MURDER SOMEONE BY INACTION. YOU MURDERER.

You people are killing others out of laziness and convenience, and trying to convince others to do the same. **** you.

Yeah, guys, you should all be tools to make everyone else's life better. Don't bother with yourself, because it's everyone else that matters.

Look at Grakelin's sig. That should explain Armok's stance on this.

[Armok]

ARMOK, STOP KILLING PEOPLE. EVERY TIME YOU POST ON THIS FORUM YOU   MURDER SOMEONE BY INACTION. YOU MURDERER.

a) I'm in school, so I can't really do anything directly, my own time spent is not the limiting factor on my studies, and as such the most productive thing I can do is LEARN. One of the main things I need to learn, one of my weaknesses I need to correct, is social skills, something that I practice as good as any other way by going here.
b) I am not a hypocrite, I am not perfect, I have almost certainly at many points failed in one way or another which has costed lives, however dwelling on this MORE than I already do is not contributing to saving more lives, and I am doing much more than any of you with a rather large probability.

[Josephus]

Huh.

You know, god guy? Fuck off. Get off the internet, get out of school, and join the salvation army, because right now, your flimsy attempts at self-justification just come off as those of an armchair Jesus with more good ideas than actual will or capability to help.

[Armok]

Every single EFFECTIVE way to actually make the world a better place that I have ever heard of, and I have heard of pretymuch everything, requires good education. Be it reducing existential risk, or just earning a decent amount of money to donate to charity. I'm after UTILLIONS, not fuzzies.

[Josephus]

Uh huh. And tell me, how much do you learn, logged on here, or playing Dwarf Fortress? How much are you "improving yourself"?

How are you supposed to change the world, armchair jesus?

Basically, what I'm saying here is: citation needed.

EDIT: So from what I've seen, it looks like the site you linked is for loonies who have the silly idea that people should be purely rational. Which is patently idiotic.

[Vester]

One of the main things I need to learn, one of my weaknesses I need to correct, is social skills, something that I practice as good as any other way by going here.

I am doing much more than any of you with a rather large probability.

See, Armok, if you actually had any social skills, you'd realize that your current behavior is offensive and will make people dislike you. It's like you've learned nothing at all about interacting with people in all the time I've known you.

[Cheeetar]

*Wasting time*

Armok, you're wasting time here and at school. Don't you realise how much money your young kidneys would make on the black market? You should sell them and donate the money to a reputable charity! You would feed thousands of children! You are a child murderer for not doing this.

*Other stuff*

Maybe I'd take you more seriously if you spelt what you were trying to convert us to correctly. It's Utilons, not Utillions.

[Muz]

Hypothetical situation.

Let's say that we have a surgeon. The best surgeon in the world. Good enough that his being at work every day unquestionably saves lives every day that he's there.

Does this surgeon have the right to the right to take a vacation?
The right to retire?

Hypothetical situation? This happens all the time with real life doctors. I've seen plenty of doctors who are forced by the Hippocratic Oath to cure people even while they're on vacation. Some had to treat sick patients on a plane and were criticized for asking for compensation, even when the plane was not going in the same direction they had planned to go on their vacation. Similarly, some people are criticized for asking for a pile of money when curing people.

It's one reason I'd never become a doctor. That alone makes it a moral thing to do - if the living conditions for doctors are too poor, many people would not become doctors in the first place.

[Pathos]

See, Armok, if you actually had any social skills, you'd realize that your current behavior is offensive and will make people dislike you. It's like you've learned nothing at all about interacting with people in all the time I've known you.

That's because that'd require effort, instead of just disparaging people on these forums.