A Hypothetical situation..

[haas mark]

Now, I took this from somewhere else, and I've already debated the gene pool thing, so that's not *too* much of a factor, but what do you think? In a reply, I will state my choice on this mater...

******

A disaster of immense proportions is about to occur in exactly three days from today--you can insert your disaster of choice here--and it is certain to destroy the entire human population with the exception of five (5) persons.

Which of the following 16 people--a totally random selection--do you think should be allowed to live? Please justify each of your choices.


All of these people possess an average level of intelligence, at the very least, and, unless stated otherwise, are in fairly good health.

1. Ana (31 years old) - She and her husband, both businesspeople, have been trying to have a baby for the past 4 years, with little success.
2. Bruce (22 years old) - He has been a paraplegic ever since he was five, when he was involved in a car accident. He has a job as a jeweler.
3. Monica (40 years old) - She is a lawyer who recently gained a small amount of fame for winning a controversial case. She is considering a career in politics.
4. Josh (25 years old) - He is a bank employee who had himself tested for AIDS, the results of which will arrive five days from now.
5. Catherine (28 years old) - She is a recovering cocaine addict and a jobless single mother. She dropped out in her third year of high school to have her baby.
6. Gary (65 years old) - He is a highly skilled heart surgeon of some renown, and is showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
7. Maria (19 years old) - A college student, she holds a swimming scholarship and has excellent grades. She is taking up literature.
8. Darius (34 years old) - He is a high school music teacher and is well-loved by his students. On weekends, he coaches the neighborhood basketball team.
9. Laura (23 years old) - She has a history of suicide attempts and has been diagnosed with extreme agoraphobia (fear of open spaces).
10. Charles (45 years old) - He runs a small poultry farm. He has a wife and three children. He likes to drink and is probably an alcoholic.
11. Phoebe (25 years old) - A widely celebrated professional model, she has used her influence to aid women's rights advocacy.
12. Nick (16 years old) - He is a computer whiz and once managed to hack his way into a government Web site just to see what it was like.
13. Betty (48 years old) - She is an engineer, and co-owns a construction company with her siblings.
14. Patrick (51 years old) - He is the editor-in-chief of a small but influential left-wing newspaper. He suffered from a minor heart attack last year.
15. Victoria (30 years old) - Imprisoned for theft, she was recently released. Before her incarceration, she was the manager of a fast-food restaurant.
16. Neil (35 years old) - He sells drugs on the street and is a compulsive gambler. He is a Desert Storm veteran.

[haas mark]

I'd say Betty and Nick, because Nick has a sure shot at an engineering career, and could help out with things along that lines, but would need guidance (which may be provided by Betty). Furthermore, with Betty's knowledge in construction, it would definitely help in case buildings had been annihiliated around them.

Monica, because she has a definite sense of boundaries and knowledge of leadership.

Phoebe also because she is young, and because she has a stand on leadership.

It is a hard decision between Darius and Gary, to have someone of educational standard there, but I say Darius because although it may be that someone should be there to educate on the matters of medicine, it may be that Darius, as a teacher, will know a lot and be able to learn about it, thus helping out more. Gary, though, must go, becasue of his Alzheimer's, and again because whatever he knew could be leaned. And besides, it is liely that Darius is physically fit becasue he is a basketball coach, as well, and that is one thing that is healthy in reproduction, as well as productivity.

This was a really tough question. Some of these people would be harder to let go than others, because in the long run, there would be certain people that would be able to further things. The only problem with the statement is a matter of genetic diversity, and unless Nick and Betty could come up with something to introduce more than that (which would be Gary's expertise), then the human race would die with but the five people. Food for thought, no?

[Enforcer Talen]

[*]Maria (19 years old) - A college student, she holds a swimming scholarship and has excellent grades. She is taking up literature.

[*]Darius (34 years old) - He is a high school music teacher and is well-loved by his students. On weekends, he coaches the neighborhood basketball team.

[*]Phoebe (25 years old) - A widely celebrated professional model, she has used her influence to aid women's rights advocacy.

[*]Nick (16 years old) - He is a computer whiz and once managed to hack his way into a government Web site just to see what it was like.

[haas mark]

[*]Maria (19 years old) - A college student, she holds a swimming scholarship and has excellent grades. She is taking up literature.

[*]Darius (34 years old) - He is a high school music teacher and is well-loved by his students. On weekends, he coaches the neighborhood basketball team.

[*]Phoebe (25 years old) - A widely celebrated professional model, she has used her influence to aid women's rights advocacy.

[*]Nick (16 years old) - He is a computer whiz and once managed to hack his way into a government Web site just to see what it was like.

You missed one, and you need to JUSTIFY your answer...

[RedImperator]

With only five people, it hardly matters. Pick the ones least likely to go crazy, I guess. Humanity will be extinct in a generation or two from inbreeding anyway.

[Enforcer Talen]

Betty (48 years old) - She is an engineer, and co-owns a construction company with her siblings.

except for the last one, under 40 and without psychological/physical problems - likely to live longer and improvise on what they dont know.

[haas mark]

With only five people, it hardly matters. Pick the ones least likely to go crazy, I guess. Humanity will be extinct in a generation or two from inbreeding anyway.

Again, read my response. Also note that you can pick whichever doom you want to, so it's not necessarily nuclear disatser where everything gets incinerated..

[NapoleonGH]

Ok then my picks:

7. Maria: young woman with many years of fertility left, also shown to be both athletic and either intelligent or having a good work ethic essential for survival.

11. Pheobe: a young woman with once again many years of fertility left, and no stated detremental factors.

15: Victotia: youngish woman with years of fertility left, not a huge problem as far as I am concerned that she has stolen stuff, after everyone but 5 people are dead there will be plenty of stuff for her to have.

12. Nick: young and obviously intelligent, both are good traits for a male in this group, he needs to be able to father many children over many years if we wish to repopulate, while still being a good and productive member of the group.

16. Neil: reletively young man who still has years before a likely death. Will most likely be no one to gamble against/wont really matter in this post appocolyptic world. And I for one have nothing against drugs and people who happen to pedle in them anymore than I have something against people who run liquer stores, coffee shops, dietary supplement stores, or tobacco shops.

[The Third Man]

Would five give insufficient diversity and lead to an inbreeding problem? Assuming it wouldn't I'd choose based primarily on reproductive capability:

Females:

Catherine. Only female proven to be fertile. (But could this be affected by cocaine abuse?)

Maria. Youngest female, long time potentially fertile. Athletic, presumably healthy.

Phoebe. Next youngest female, (excepting Laura, whose suicidal impulses disqualify her)


Males:

Should only be one for maximum breeding capability, but we need a spare.

We have only one proven to be fertile: Charles, the possible alocoholic. A bit old since our females may be reproductive for 20 years, but within the limits. Hope that his possible alcoholism doesn't lead to an untimely death and doesn't stop him getting it up. If it does we always have our spare...

Neil the desert storm vet makes a good spare. Military experience aand street survival skills make for a spare that is less likely to get himself killed. Young enough to carry on firing them in for a good while.

I don't think it would work, there aren't enough people, and if we lost one or one turned out to be incapable of reproduction for whatever reason it'd be a huge blow to the chances of re-population. But the above choices illustrate the selection criteria I'd use, which are exactly the same as if I was selecting, say, a bunch of chickens for maximum offspring production.

[Hethrir]

Darius. The world needs music. Dunno about the others.

[InnerBrat]

I would have liked more personal information like, for example, why josh felt the need for an HIV test.

Ana (31 years old) - Doubts on her fertility. Sorry, but out.
Bruce (22 years old) - Physically dependant, and probably infertile (I'm never sure how paraplegia affects that)
Monica (40 years old) - Intelligent, a leader, but maybe a bit too old
Josh (25 years old) - If he has AIDS, then would be a risk to offspring. Again, we don't know why he had the test, BUT, if he's a intravenous drug user, then he is dependant on a drug five people might not be able to supply. If he's gay, then he's not going to be very useful in rebuilding the population (sorry guys, but I want breeders).
Laura (23 years old) - psychologically unstable. This is a very stressful situation. No.
Charles (45 years old) - Proven fertility, but perhaps too old for healthy future kids. I don't want any drug dependance (regardless of how many bottles of wine there are lying about)
Nick (16 years old) - Young, intelligent, but computer skills are not going to be much use...
Betty (48 years old) - has relevent and useful skills, is clearly a organised thinker, but is nearly menopausal.
Patrick (51 years old) - Intelligent, may have useful ideas in rebuilding a small society, but is too big a health risk.
Victoria (30 years old) - young, is organised and a leader (would like to know more about her thief abilities - like how often she didn't get caught)
Neil (35 years old) - Has useful skills, but I've ruled out other people because of addictvie personalities. No.

My choices are:
Maria (19 years old) - Young, fit, intelligent, seemingly well read. Clear choice
Darius (34 years old) - Socially able, fit, leadership qualities. He's my designated father.
Phoebe (25 years old) - young, but may have fertility issues if she is too thin.
Gary (65 years old) - Useful skills and possibly highly intelligent, at leats for the next few years. May become a burden later, but he can still pass on his knowledge. Possibly too old to breed successfully, though.
Catherine (28 years old) - Proven fertility, but may lack motivation - and may not be able to cope in such a stressful situation. I';ve included her cause I wanetd another woman to breed from.

[LadyTevar]

Catherine: She's beaten her addiction, which shows strength, and she's proven fertile, with several fertile years left.

Maria: Young, healthy, intellictual. Good breeding stock, and can teach her skills at swimming, which could be useful in catching food.

Darius: Main father. As a teacher, he'd have learned more than just Music skills, although music and art can raise the spirits. He's also used to coaching a team, and dealing with children. He'd be the glue to hold this family together.

Victoria: Management skills, and a strong urge to make things better for herself by whatever possible. She'd be the one who'd have no qualms about robbing the dead for whatever supplies are needed. May cause some problems, but she's healthy and otherwise hopefully smart enough to know when to work for the team instead of against it.

Here's the hard choice: Charles or Neil.

Charles is a farmer. He knows how to raise food, and possibly have had a side garden for veggies. This makes him a good choice, despite the alcoholism and age.

Neil on hand, is a Veteran, and trained in survival under adverse conditions. However, he would have have addiction problems, and possibly other problems from Desert Storm.

Of the two, I'm leaning more towards Charles, surprisingly.

[Zoink]

Monica (40 years old) - She is a lawyer who recently gained a small amount of fame for winning a controversial case. She is considering a career in politics.

Catherine (28 years old) - She is a recovering cocaine addict and a jobless single mother. She dropped out in her third year of high school to have her baby.

Maria (19 years old) - A college student, she holds a swimming scholarship and has excellent grades. She is taking up literature.

Phoebe (25 years old) - A widely celebrated professional model, she has used her influence to aid women's rights advocacy.

Victoria (30 years old) - Imprisoned for theft, she was recently released. Before her incarceration, she was the manager of a fast-food restaurant.

I picked the 5 youngish women, minus the suicidal and non-fertile one. Its kind of hard because we really don't know these women's personality types. The ex-drug addict / young-mother might have enough real-world experience to take whatever is thrown at her in stride, while the others break down at the loss, or maybe its the other way around.

I have no misplaced conceptions about repopulating the earth or rebuilding the nation. *If* future generations manage to survive and prosper. They'll have to use what knowledge they can find through old books and such, and put it to whatever use they can. I will be long dead by that time, so its not really my concern.

[CaptainChewbacca]

It doesn't matter. You need a population of 15 men and 15 women sharing few genetic relations in order to produce a viable gene pool.

5 gives you inbreeding after 4 generations.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Now, I took this from somewhere else, and I've already debated the gene pool thing, so that's not *too* much of a factor, but what do you think? In a reply, I will state my choice on this mater...

******

A disaster of immense proportions is about to occur in exactly three days from today--you can insert your disaster of choice here--and it is certain to destroy the entire human population with the exception of five (5) persons.

Which of the following 16 people--a totally random selection--do you think should be allowed to live? Please justify each of your choices.

None of them. A population of five people is nowhere near enough to restart the human race. If you're going to kill the human race, you might want to do a more thorough job of it. :P

Now, if we modify your scenario slightly. Instead of five of these people waiting around to be the last human to die, we'll assume these people are embedded in a viable local population, say a few hundred. Then we'll ask if they have anything useful to contribute to a post-apocalyptic society.

All of these people possess an average level of intelligence, at the very least, and, unless stated otherwise, are in fairly good health.

1. Ana (31 years old) - She and her husband, both businesspeople, have been trying to have a baby for the past 4 years, with little success.

From the viewpoint of a struggling tribal civilization, she's just about at the end of her useful childbearing years. And it doesn't look like she's going to produce any anytime soon anyhow. Not a good choice.

[*]Bruce (22 years old) - He has been a paraplegic ever since he was five, when he was involved in a car accident. He has a job as a jeweler.

And verily didst the Lord striketh him down, for he would verily be a load upon a society deprived of modern civilization.

[*]Monica (40 years old) - She is a lawyer who recently gained a small amount of fame for winning a controversial case. She is considering a career in politics.

Let her live, and she may end up running the place. And we need an arbiter of law and order.

[*]Josh (25 years old) - He is a bank employee who had himself tested for AIDS, the results of which will arrive five days from now.

And verily didst the Lord striketh him down for the Lord is a cautious sort. Humanity is almost extinct as it is, let's not add to their troubles.

[*]Catherine (28 years old) - She is a recovering cocaine addict and a jobless single mother. She dropped out in her third year of high school to have her baby.

A good tribal sort of woman, apart from the occasional hankering for coke, and any lingering long-term health effects induced by the habit. As she'd undoubtedly be a few thousand miles away from the cocoa plants, she might produce one or two useful children, and she'd could be useful out in the fields.

[*]Gary (65 years old) - He is a highly skilled heart surgeon of some renown, and is showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease.

And verily didst the Lord striketh him down, for yea he is worse than useless in the new no-tech society of tomorrow. Though he might be useful as a teacher of some sort, but undoubtedly there are textbooks and such written for this kind of procedure.

[*]Maria (19 years old) - A college student, she holds a swimming scholarship and has excellent grades. She is taking up literature.

A young woman in the prime of her life. Learned and has many childbearing years ahead of her. A strong, useful contribution to the post-apocalyptic world.

[*]Darius (34 years old) - He is a high school music teacher and is well-loved by his students. On weekends, he coaches the neighborhood basketball team.

A community-minded sort of person, has some physical prowess to boot, and he'd be useful in educating the youth of the society. A strong choice.

[*]Laura (23 years old) - She has a history of suicide attempts and has been diagnosed with extreme agoraphobia (fear of open spaces).

Well, after the apocalypse, there's going to be a lot more open spaces than there used to be. Thus, verily didst the Lord striketh her down. Humanity is almost extinct as it is, blah, blah, blah.

[*]Charles (45 years old) - He runs a small poultry farm. He has a wife and three children. He likes to drink and is probably an alcoholic.

We need somebody who knows farming and agriculture in the post apocalyptic world. And he won't be able to get any booze until somebody rediscovers the concept of the moonshine still.

[*]Phoebe (25 years old) - A widely celebrated professional model, she has used her influence to aid women's rights advocacy.

The Lord is Tempted Sorely to striketh her down. On one hand, she's young and could contribute meaningfully to society. On the other hand, the life she has lead may not make the transition easy.

[*]Nick (16 years old) - He is a computer whiz and once managed to hack his way into a government Web site just to see what it was like.

Young enough to develop some muscles, work the fields, and eventually become a useful contributor to society. A good choice.

[*]Betty (48 years old) - She is an engineer, and co-owns a construction company with her siblings.

She might be useful. The tribe will need some people who know what they're doing when it comes to buildings and shelter. And as her childbearing years are over, she won't have that stress to suffer from, and might be around for a while yet.

[*]Patrick (51 years old) - He is the editor-in-chief of a small but influential left-wing newspaper. He suffered from a minor heart attack last year.

And verily didst the Lord striketh him down, for yea he wouldst be rather useless in the post-apocalyptic world.

[*]Victoria (30 years old) - Imprisoned for theft, she was recently released. Before her incarceration, she was the manager of a fast-food restaurant.

The Lord is Tempted Sorely to striketh her down. The last thing we need in this society is somebody with kleptomaniacal tendencies, and she's almost past her prime in terms of bearing children. So, errrm, verily didst the Lord striketh her down.

[*]Neil (35 years old) - He sells drugs on the street and is a compulsive gambler. He is a Desert Storm veteran.[/list]

And verily didst the Lord striketh him down because He needs to narrow the list down to five and Neil mayest be the warlord type, and the Lord knows that there shalt be more than enough of those.

My strongest picks are:

Monica - Law and order.
Maria - Reasonably learned and in the prime of her life.
Darius - Community-minded, still inside the prime of his life.
Charles - Knowledge of agriculture. (Kinda iffy though.)
Betty - Knowledge of works and infrastructure.

If I had to make substitutions, I might substitute in Nick or Phoebe due to their potential as laborers and breeders. Catherine might make a fair substitution as well.

[haas mark]

Zoink.. you're not included in this. YOu cannot reopulate the human race without a male in the equation. The choices were of the above people. NOT including yourself.

[Zoink]

Zoink.. you're not included in this. YOu cannot reopulate the human race without a male in the equation. The choices were of the above people. NOT including yourself.

Ok, my bad. In that case I wouldn't choose any; if forced I'd role dice. Its not my concern; (wo)mankind is gone. The morals and responsabilities that allow it to exist are no longer applicable. I feel no special need to select people to live another bleak 20-50-odd years, with perhaps a few dwindling generation(s) to follow. Whomever is selected has an equal right to life from my perspective.

[Steven Snyder]

The Losers (The list of DEATH)

Ana - Her lack of usefulness and fertility condemn her.
Bruce - His paraplegic status make him a liability.
Monica - Her age make her unsuitable for breeding purposes.
Josh - His status as a possible disease carrier makes him a liability.
Gary - His advanced age and disease work against him. In the post-apolcalyptic future I doubt we will have medical facilities to utilize his knowledge.
Darius - His skills are virtually useless for the task at hand and his age will make him a liability soon.
Laura - Her phobia and suicide attempts are a sign of mental weakness, she will probably be incapable of dealing with the horror of what is to come.
Charles - His advanced age and drinking problems will reduce his lifespan and limit his usefulness.
Betty - Her age prevents her from being suitable for breeding purposes. She has no other skills that would make her valuable.
Patrick - His age and health problems make him a liability for the survivors.
Neil - We already have a viable breeding male, we do not need more. He may or may not have survival skills, and this gamble alone doesn't overcome the problems he will face because of his drug-addiction and a possible carrier of AIDS or other disease.

The Winners (Those that will live)

Nick - Though his skills are useless he is young enough to learn new talents and serve to impregnate the females.

Catherine - She is a young fertile individual, though uneducated. She will serve as primary breeder.

Maria - Her youth, education and physical talent make her a must-have.

Phoebe - Her youth and health should make her do well as a breeder.

Victoria - She still has a few years of child-bearing left in her and that is of critical importance. Her past is shady, but the fact that she can be a successful breeder for a decade make her useful to the survivors.

That's it. Four females and one male.

The population growth is capped by the number of women, so you want as many as possible. This colony could start with a maximum of 4 infants per year assuming there are enough resources to go around.

The colony needs only one male for impregnation, any more are redundant.

Yes I am a cold bastard.

[LadyTevar]

The Losers (The list of DEATH)
The colony needs only one male for impregnation, any more are redundant.

Yes I am a cold bastard.

More than one male = more variation in the offspring.

If he's the father of all children, there's inbreeding problems from the very start.

[Steven Snyder]

The Losers (The list of DEATH)
The colony needs only one male for impregnation, any more are redundant.

Yes I am a cold bastard.

More than one male = more variation in the offspring.

If he's the father of all children, there's inbreeding problems from the very start.

With all due respect, a population of only 5 humans is going to be a genetic disaster anyway. I am shooting for as many as many offspring as possible in hopes of somehow surviving through numbers.

Yes there will be problems starting in just the second generation, but there are going to be problems anyway. Besides the topic starter said that really didn't matter too much to him.

[kojikun]

Nice, Maria, Bruce - Young enough to begin having children and continue having many, will live longest, healthy workforce
Betty - engineering knowledge, essential for building the basics the first time
Charles - knowledge of raising foodstock OR Gary - knowledge of medicine

[Thirdfain]

The government's findings on the subject of setting up viable colonies suggest that you need a minimum of 200 breeding humans to have a safe gene pool. 5 people are, as others have mentioned, just not enough.

[kojikun]

thirdfain: true, but all the bisexual incest fans would have a field day with the porn.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Define disaster. Are humans just wiped out and the 5 will be left with a intact Earth?

[kojikun]

GAT, no theyre all on little chunks of planet. Earth got deathstarred.