Eyes or Ears - which would you give up if you had to

[tooqk4u22]

I was listening to the radio and the morning crew started talking about this. The question was posed if right now (i.e. not from birth) you had to choose between losing your sight or your hearing which would yhou choose.

Initially I though it would be an easy choice - my hearing.   But then the music thread I started got me thinking - music and other sounds (like smells) are major memory triggers far more intense than looking at pictures IMO.  So then the decision became less clear - I mean I have seen a lot and if a certain song plays it puts me back in that moment in time with perfect clarity and emotion - pictures don't do that for me. 

Tough call.  I know it is a BS theoretical question, but what would you choose.

[matchewed]

I've always leaned towards eyes on this one. I love music and feel that I would have enough memories to hold me over (knowing that even those memories will be suspect and probably not resemble any actual sight in a few years). When I've had this conversation before most people think I'm crazy for choosing this.

[.22guy]

I love music, but I'd rather be able to see where I'm going and my kid's faces.

[Paul der Krake]

Lose the ears, think of all the stupidity you could tune out...

From a purely practical standpoint, eyes win hands down.

[Cecil]

I'd keep my vision, and it's not even a difficult decision. My entire life would change if I went blind - I couldn't read, drive, bike, enjoy the sights of travelling, see my wife's face. I program computers for a living so I'd have to undergo a career shift too.

Lose my hearing and I just have to learn how to read lips.

[Roland of Gilead]

eyes win hands down, no contest.  you can't even what I just wrote without them or some special tool and training.

[Hamster]

Left eye, right ear.

Edit: I mean keep the left eye. Better for seeing the oncoming traffic.

[Nudelkopf]

I'd rather lose my ears. I teach a number of visually impaired students, and their lives just seem so much harder. There's also a VI man who catches my bus, and the number of times that I've had to go up to him to tell him the bus has done something stupid and has missed him is actually ridiculous.

I lost my hearing over summer, and I survived. It was kinda nice - it wasn't until my hearing returned a month or so later that I realised how shit traffic noise is :P

[marty998]

Easy one - I'd lose the hearing. I would not have to change any aspect of my life if I lost my hearing, but sight, thats another matter.

Interestingly ABC radio in Oz has an blind announcer who who reads the news and produces her show. She "reads" the news obviously not off an autocue but through an earpiece. A computer program (complete with Stephen Hawking voice) translates the text to her earpiece, and she speaks 1 second behind. Its actually incredibly difficult to do but she manages.

In this day and age with cochlear implants (an aussie invention) as well as bionic eyes coming soon technology may soon make this question redundant

[BlueMR2]

Easy one.  I'd lose the hearing.  I can still race cars and fly airplanes without hearing.  I wouldn't be able to without sight.

[arebelspy]

Poll added.

Agree with the above.  Hearing, gone.

I'm not a very auditory person.  One example of why I'd rather see than hear: I like reading; I don't like audio books.

There is so much more beauty in things to be seen than heard, IMO.  (Though lots to be heard, for sure, lots more in terms of variety at the very least, in visual things, IMO).

music and other sounds (like smells) are major memory triggers

I'm curious what smells sound like to you.  ;)

[tooqk4u22]

music and other sounds (like smells) are major memory triggers

I'm curious what smells sound like to you.  ;)

Well I see what I did wrong there....but to answer your question the smells you can hear coming are not the ones I want to remember - they tend to smell badly :)

I love music, but I'd rather be able to see where I'm going and my kid's faces.

I agree with that but then I think about not hearing my kids laugh or sing.  Having vision is clearly more practical but hearing IMO provides a more emotional element.

Again just weird thought to explore - obviously prefer to keep both.

[igthebold]

I can continue my current way of making money without my ears. That's somewhat weak, I know, but hey, when you're a small business owner, that's how you roll. :)

[StarswirlTheMustached]

Left eye, right ear.

Edit: I mean keep the left eye. Better for seeing the oncoming traffic.

Brilliant.

If we have to go by pairs, though, I'd keep the eyes. I'd sleep so much better if I couldn't hear the neighbors.

[TwoWheels]

Eyes, no question. Easy choice if you're a serious musician.

[Hotstreak]

I answered the poll before reading.  I voted Ears because even without them, I would be able to hear some things, and maybe get a few prosthetic ears to restore most functionality.   Losing hearing would be quite a bit worse, but I would still go that route.  I can't imagine how I would enjoy all my outdoor activities and sports without vision, but sound doesn't seem as important.

[Jon_Snow]

I just found myself pondering the horror of losing both....

[grantmeaname]

I'm like halfway deaf anyways. So I'd rather give up half a normal person's hearing than all of a normal person's vision.

[Devils Advocate]

I dunno.

Gave up one of my testicles once though. Haven't missed it much, but then again, I'm half nuts.

DA

[Adventine]

I'd give up my hearing. Life wouldn't be worth living if I couldn't read.

[Khan]

I'd give up my hearing, though there is so much beauty in sound, there is no replacement for sight. I mean, losing sight makes even movement a chore, whether by foot or by wheel. Losing hearing would just be a much less drastic change compared to that.