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[LoSboccacc]

but most animals sense of protection is limited only toward their kin children and often, but not always, extended just enough to encompass other children of the pack.

[rhesusmacabre]

Unlike animals, (most) humans have empathy.

[LoSboccacc]

this is too a flawed assumption on the comfty life that we live and the limited view of our neighboring areas.

darfur inhabitants and bosnians and a whole generation of hebrews would gladly disagree with your statement about human empathy.

[Mini]

I still don't understand the differentiation between killing an adult and a child. Society places a big difference on it, including in video games, but I feel like it's pretty illogical. Sure, children are considered innocent, but from societies standpoint, the adult is already a productive member of society, whereas the child is currently a drain on resources until they develop further. It seems like the adult would be more of a loss than a child from this view. But all of this becomes irrelevant when it's not in reality, as it's simply a game and the death of anything has no consequences beyond those in the game. I doubt I would go around killing children in games, but I certainly would rather them not be invincible. It just seems silly and like previous comments stated, breaks immersion.

Children have greater future production than adults, especially when you consider that eventually they are likely to have children of their own.

[Flare]

Like any animal, humans have a greater sense of protection towards their children. Logic has nothing to do with it.

I'm sure there is. For one thing, we have justifications for why we follow empathy and no that rapey desire some of us have when we see an attractive member of the opposite sex. We also need a reason why empathy could only be shown to children in games and not to adults as well. I can argue that given the level of intellectual development a fully grown adult will appreciate their circumstance far more than child can and thus are just as deserving of sympathy as children.

[lemon10]

I still don't understand the differentiation between killing an adult and a child. Society places a big difference on it, including in video games, but I feel like it's pretty illogical. Sure, children are considered innocent, but from societies standpoint, the adult is already a productive member of society, whereas the child is currently a drain on resources until they develop further. It seems like the adult would be more of a loss than a child from this view. But all of this becomes irrelevant when it's not in reality, as it's simply a game and the death of anything has no consequences beyond those in the game. I doubt I would go around killing children in games, but I certainly would rather them not be invincible. It just seems silly and like previous comments stated, breaks immersion.

Children have greater future production than adults, especially when you consider that eventually they are likely to have children of their own.

Technically, but adults have much more capital already invested in them (especially educated ones), and having another child is extremely easy and only takes 9 months+age, while another adult takes decades and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of education to get to have a college education.
Also, adults are as likely to have kids in the future as children are (depending on their age at the time of course).

EDIT: derp missed out a word

[rhesusmacabre]

this is too a flawed assumption on the comfty life that we live and the limited view of our neighboring areas.

darfur inhabitants and bosnians and a whole generation of hebrews would gladly disagree with your statement about human empathy.

Just because we're capable of empathy doesn't mean it's necessarily our prime motivation, sadly. Nevertheless humans are capable of acts of great charity to complete strangers in ways that animals aren't.


One of the reasons we 'value' children more than perhaps we used to is the significant decrease in infant mortality in developed countries. Whether or not this makes sense in games is another matter.

[LoSboccacc]

Nevertheless humans are capable of acts of great charity to complete strangers in ways that animals aren't.

there is plenty of evidence against this too, like dolphins protecting humans from sharks and animals adopting other species progeny.

[Dsarker]

There's also plenty of evidence of dolphins trying to rape or kill humans, too.

[lemon10]

There's also plenty of evidence of dolphins trying to rape or kill humans, too.

Just because dolphins can be evil doesn't mean that they don't also have empathy.

[LoSboccacc]

sure. so can we just get over with all this 'got empathy' and 'better than animals' stuff?

[Kansa]

I think the reason that killing a child is viewed as worse than killing an adult is precisely because they have less experience than an adult, a child who has their life taken away like that has not had the chance to experience of what life has to offer yet while an adult has.

[lemon10]

I think the reason that killing a child is viewed as worse than killing an adult is precisely because they have less experience than an adult, a child who has their life taken away like that has not had the chance to experience of what life has to offer yet while an adult has.

So killing a adult with total amnesia is worse then killing a 10 day old baby?

EDIT:
Just gotta say, I love B12, having a discussion on why killing children is bad is just so sociopathic its amazing.

[Dsarker]

There's also plenty of evidence of dolphins trying to rape or kill humans, too.

Just because dolphins can be evil doesn't mean that they don't also have empathy.

Oh, they're not being evil. They're just reacting as instinct tells them to. Stop thinking they have the same capability as humans.

[Kansa]

I think the reason that killing a child is viewed as worse than killing an adult is precisely because they have less experience than an adult, a child who has their life taken away like that has not had the chance to experience of what life has to offer yet while an adult has.

So killing a adult with total amnesia is worse then killing a 10 day old baby?

It probably would not be viewed as worse because even if the adult could never remember what they had experienced doesn't mean they never did and never had the chance too.