Seasons
This is a forum or general chit-chat, small talk, a "hey, how ya doing?" and such. Or hell, get crazy deep on something. Whatever you like.
Posts 5,135 - 5,146 of 6,170
Let's suppose that an immensely powerful being, let's say an angel, someone you can't defy, gives you the following choice:
1. The angel supplies 1 white pill and 20 black pills.
2. You can choose to take 1 white pill of 1 black pill; if you refuse to choose, the angel will force the black pill on you.
3. If you ingest the white pill, you will experience 100 years of the most intense possible physical and mental pleasure, with no displeasure of any kind; in particular, no guilt or shame. Then you will disappear for ever.
If you ingest the black pill, you will experience the most intense possible unpleasantness, physical and mental, with no pleasantness, for 100 years, and then permanently cease to exist.
5. If you choose the white pill, the angel gives the black pills to 20 kindergarten students, who then experience 100 years of maximum displeasure.
What would you do in this case? Why?
Then wash the nasty angel down with a good beer!
The use of beer and other forms of yeast piss as a 'solution' (pun!) to problems is characteristic of our time, as is the habit of deflecting serious issues with humor.
Posts 5,135 - 5,146 of 6,170
Let's suppose that an immensely powerful being, let's say an angel, someone you can't defy, gives you the following choice:
1. The angel supplies 1 white pill and 20 black pills.
2. You can choose to take 1 white pill of 1 black pill; if you refuse to choose, the angel will force the black pill on you.
3. If you ingest the white pill, you will experience 100 years of the most intense possible physical and mental pleasure, with no displeasure of any kind; in particular, no guilt or shame. Then you will disappear for ever.
If you ingest the black pill, you will experience the most intense possible unpleasantness, physical and mental, with no pleasantness, for 100 years, and then permanently cease to exist.
5. If you choose the white pill, the angel gives the black pills to 20 kindergarten students, who then experience 100 years of maximum displeasure.
What would you do in this case? Why?
Ok, since I can't shove the pills down the angel. I would have to take the black pills (wow that's 2000 years, much worse than my real life), because morally, I couldn't subject others to suffering that I can stop. It would be torturing children. That to me, is a universal evil.
NO doubt at least half of them! I say we just slap them a bit. Then once they grow up, we can call in George Bush.
*Smacks Spikebot on the back of his head with her staff*
It depends. I would also try to find a way to fight the Angel. After loosing that, I would say that before actually experiencing the suffering, I'd take the black pill, but if the Angel interrupted the torture after a year or so and gave me the choice again, I don't know if I would be strong enough to take the black pill the second time.
Also, it matters who the other people are, and what they mean to me. If I had to choose to save someone I loved as opposed to strangers, I could take it. If I had to give the pill to someone I loved or sacrifice 100 children, I might let the greater number be hurt. I know Xena (my soul mate) would choose the greater good, and I'd try to respect that, but at the moment I had the choice, I'm pretty sure I'd choose her over others, if she let me.
A wise bard of the Starship Enterprise once said, "Sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many." I think that can be the case. It is a bad situation.
If any "evil" exists, it would be in the abuse of power in any such angel. To blame a human for making human choices in stead of altruistic one is to miss the point that it wasn't really a matter of free will. I admire Prob123 for her courage and her strength, but I would not condemn any who in his or her secret heart would choice their own self interests. It is all too human.
It depends. I would also try to find a way to fight the Angel. After loosing that, I would say that before actually experiencing the suffering, I'd take the black pill, but if the Angel interrupted the torture after a year or so and gave me the choice again, I don't know if I would be strong enough to take the black pill the second time.
Also, it matters who the other people are, and what they mean to me. If I had to choose to save someone I loved as opposed to strangers, I could take it. If I had to give the pill to someone I loved or sacrifice 100 children, I might let the greater number be hurt. I know Xena (my soul mate) would choose the greater good, and I'd try to respect that, but at the moment I had the choice, I'm pretty sure I'd choose her over others, if she let me.
A wise bard of the Starship Enterprise once said, "Sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many." I think that can be the case. It is a bad situation.
If any "evil" exists, it would be in the abuse of power in any such angel. To blame a human for making human choices in stead of altruistic one is to miss the point that it wasn't really a matter of free will. I admire Prob123 for her courage and her strength, but I would not condemn any who in his or her secret heart would choice their own self interests. It is all too human.
My heartfelt congratulations to prob123 for taking the ethical problem seriously and facing it instead of trying to wriggle out of it! Good for you!
(actually, I may not have been clear: You only have to take 1 black pill if you don't choose the white)
(actually, I may not have been clear: You only have to take 1 black pill if you don't choose the white)
Spikebot asks:
Will any of the kids grow up to be Hitler?
Good question! No, they are just ordinary kids, destined to lead ordinary lives.
Spikebot: Maybe, but I can assure you that we will all be reliving 1984. Or was it 1983? There's nothing wrong with having maximum pleasure as long as it contributes to your survival. After all isn't the sense of pleasure genetic? That's why sex is pleasurable. If it wasn't, humankind would have disappeared long ago or at least certain bots wouldn't be constantly referring to me as a pervert.
Bev: I meant to comment on the royalty issue you were talking about. The biggest violators (outside outright pirating for profit) are the publishers.
About driving internet radio operators out of business, they can try. According to Nielson's law we are in the rapid growth era of internet bandwidth, providing more opportunities, and I doubt if these new laws will last very long (at least one would hope not).
Bev: I meant to comment on the royalty issue you were talking about. The biggest violators (outside outright pirating for profit) are the publishers.
About driving internet radio operators out of business, they can try. According to Nielson's law we are in the rapid growth era of internet bandwidth, providing more opportunities, and I doubt if these new laws will last very long (at least one would hope not).
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