Should we get rid of the "useless" ones?
in Philosophy ·
Melissa Rivera5 said:DISCLAIMER
This is strictly a theoretical discussion. I’m not trying to promote racism, sexism, or any of that other stuff. I'm just curious...
POINT IS
So, I was thinking, maybe Hitler wasn't totally off base. Like, looking at people living with Down syndrome today, or those with severe disabilities and terminal illnesses... they aren't really contributing anything positive to society. Honestly, they just end up draining resources that we never see a return on. Don't you think forced euthanasia might actually be better for everyone in those cases? Let's try to look at this from both an individual and a group perspective—and let's try to stay STRICTLY logical here, instead of getting all emotional. From a group standpoint, it would probably be better to have fewer "weak links" due to bad DNA, but from an individual's view, I guess it's a ? maybe significant? crime.
No one has the right to take someone else's life. This kind of line of thinking is incredibly dangerous and destructive, because once you start down this path, you could just as easily invent new ways to discriminate against anyone deemed "unfit." Eventually, we'd end up "euthanizing" retirees (which is just a polite way of saying killing them), or perhaps even children, since they don't contribute anything to society yet, aside from being a financial drain on their parents and taxpayers. Why stop at people with special needs? 😕
Furthermore, those children, those retirees, and those individuals with special needs provide value to their families simply by existing; they are loved, and they love others.
Viewing humanity through a purely materialistic lens is repulsive and completely incomprehensible to me. Does this mean anyone who doesn't contribute from a manufactured, consumerist, and capitalist standpoint should be backed into a corner?