I would rather everyone lose a finger than one person lose a hand.
I’m pretty sure that if an invading alien fleet came and demanded every human lose a single finger, there’d be more than enough people that’d be willing to sacrifice their very lives to prevent that tribute—and though I’m not sure I’d be as brave as that, I’d most certainly be willing to sacrifice my hand in order to save a finger of each of 6 billion people.
People would sacrifice their lives for it. However, would that choice be rational? Especially if we consider the likelihood that a war with the aliens might result in massive civilian casualties? Fighting is only a good idea if winning puts you in a better position than you would otherwise be in.
Being willing to sacrifice your hand is noble, and I would probably do the same thing. But if you’re talking about someone ELSE’S hand, you need to look at what losing a finger really costs in life experience and working ability versus losing a hand.
I’m pretty sure that if an invading alien fleet came and demanded every human lose a single finger, there’d be more than enough people that’d be willing to sacrifice their very lives to prevent that tribute—and though I’m not sure I’d be as brave as that, I’d most certainly be willing to sacrifice my hand in order to save a finger of each of 6 billion people.
People would sacrifice their lives for it. However, would that choice be rational? Especially if we consider the likelihood that a war with the aliens might result in massive civilian casualties? Fighting is only a good idea if winning puts you in a better position than you would otherwise be in.
Being willing to sacrifice your hand is noble, and I would probably do the same thing. But if you’re talking about someone ELSE’S hand, you need to look at what losing a finger really costs in life experience and working ability versus losing a hand.