The difference is that “dollars” and “fifty thousand dollars” are obviously equivalent and interchangeable units. 50,000 dollars equals one “fifty thousand dollars”, obviously.
I don’t think that any amount of “occasional minor annoyances” are equivalent or interchangeable with “a long period of horrific torture”. They aren’t even in the same catorgy, IMHO.
So, consider the general case of an ordered pair (X,Y) such that given a choice between X right now, and Y once a year for the next (insert arbitrarily large number here) years, most people would probably choose Y.
I think the time order here (torture now or annoyances later) may be another factor that is distracting us from the point, so let’s drop that.
Let’s say that you know, for a fact, that you will live for the next billion years. Now say that you have to choose between either having a very minor annoyance once a year for the next billion years, or instead having 50 years of horrific torture happen to you at some random point in the future within the next billion years. Personally, I would still choose the annoyances, rather then put my future-self through that horrific torture.
The difference is that “dollars” and “fifty thousand dollars” are obviously equivalent and interchangeable units.
Yes, I agree that the equivalence is far more obvious in this example.
I don’t think that any amount of “occasional minor annoyances” are equivalent or interchangeable with “a long period of horrific torture”.
You are welcome to believe that. It doesn’t follow from the premise you seemed earlier to be concluding it from, though. If you’re simply asserting it, that’s fine.
And, yes, given the choice you describe, I would probably make the same choice.
The difference is that “dollars” and “fifty thousand dollars” are obviously equivalent and interchangeable units. 50,000 dollars equals one “fifty thousand dollars”, obviously.
I don’t think that any amount of “occasional minor annoyances” are equivalent or interchangeable with “a long period of horrific torture”. They aren’t even in the same catorgy, IMHO.
I think the time order here (torture now or annoyances later) may be another factor that is distracting us from the point, so let’s drop that.
Let’s say that you know, for a fact, that you will live for the next billion years. Now say that you have to choose between either having a very minor annoyance once a year for the next billion years, or instead having 50 years of horrific torture happen to you at some random point in the future within the next billion years. Personally, I would still choose the annoyances, rather then put my future-self through that horrific torture.
Yes, I agree that the equivalence is far more obvious in this example.
You are welcome to believe that. It doesn’t follow from the premise you seemed earlier to be concluding it from, though. If you’re simply asserting it, that’s fine.
And, yes, given the choice you describe, I would probably make the same choice.