Painting or the Cat

Suppose you are a firefighter and there is a fire at the museum. You have only time to save one thing before the fire consumes the building. Your choices are a priceless Rembrandt painting or a cat. Whichever one you don't pick will be destroyed in the fire. Which one do you save?

Did I ever tell you I abhor hypothetical emergency questions?

Anwyay, the cat has a small chance to save himself. The painting has none.

I'm just glad that these are anonymous polls. No one will ever know how I voted. ;+)

Quote: Nareed

Anwyay, the cat has a small chance to save himself. The painting has none.

That shouldn't be the reason for choosing the painting. I said, "Whichever one you don't pick will be destroyed in the fire." So please assume the cat won't find a way out if you pick the painting.

Quote: Wizard

That shouldn't be the reason for choosing the painting. I said, "Whichever one you don't pick will be destroyed in the fire." So please assume the cat won't find a way out if you pick the painting.

That's why I don't like such questions. They assume facts that have not happened yet ;)

I once got thrown out of an ethics class in highschool for pointing such thigns out. But, hey, the question as phrased offered several other outs if the context of the situation was taken into account. So does this one, but I'll refrain for now.

I'll say this: most Rembrandts ahve been reproduced in some form or another; therefore while the original might be lost in the fire, the content of the painting itself won't be.

Quote: miplet

I'm just glad that these are anonymous polls. No one will ever know how I voted. ;+)

Well, since only one vote has been cast so far ....

Quote: miplet

I'm just glad that these are anonymous polls. No one will ever know how I voted. ;+)

Actually, at the time I voted for the cat there was only 1 vote registered, and that was for the cat. So I guess I know how you voted.

Quote: Nareed

I'll say this: most Rembrandts ahve been reproduced in some form or another; therefore while the original might be lost in the fire, the content of the painting itself won't be.

I agree that paintings can be reproduced so well that it would take an expert to tell the difference between the fake and the original. However, I disagree that the "the content of the painting itself won't be (lost)." There is no substitute for the real thing. I doubt the museum in Norway would have been satisfied to use a reproduction of The Scream after the original was stolen.

How old is the cat?

Anyway I get to keep the Rembrandt that I save? If not, screw it. I don't have much appreciation for old paintings. Some are ok, some are just flat awful.