[extropy-chat] frozen in fire

[ben]

Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:

Anders wrote:
 > >Ah, kids are such ethical problems! Trolleys
 > >running down branching tracks, brains in jars and frozen embryos in
 > >burning IVF labs are so much more manageable!

 >That last one caught my attention. Is this a current ethicsbiz
 >gedanken? How many frozen embryos would you need to "save" at the
 >cost of your own life? Are you morally obliged to perish in the fire
 >if you can throw out (to safety) no more than one poor shivering
 >blastocyst, which probably won't implant successfully anyway given
 >current tech? If not, how many do you need to save? I like this >reductio.

I don't know if this is what Anders is referring to, but i've used that 
scenario in a question about the 'Pro-life' (what a misnomer!) attitude, 
posed as a dilemma involving a burning lab, an unconscious scientist 
about to be burnt to death, and a canister full of frozen embryos. You 
can only save one, which would it be? Some people actually think this is 
an ethical dilemma.

ben zaiboc