A matter of choice (an ethical dilemma)

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2005-08-15 08:19pm

Imagine that you are in a futuristic colony comprised of several thousand people. Now imagine that your colony is attacked by aliens, and you are all captured and herded into your colony's auditorium. As it turns out, the leader of the aliens is a human, like yourself, who proclaims himself to be a religious leader who shall bring salvation to all.

He makes an offer: You may volunteer to go with him. You will learn the accumulated knowledge of ten thousand years of research, and become the unquestioned religious leader to an entire species who has been working patiently for millenia to overthrow the various governments of the galaxy and restore their particular brand of order. However, everyone else will be killed.

If you don't wish to take him up on his offer, he then tells you that some of your people may be saved after all. You may pick a hundred of your friends and family on this colony, and they will be spared. They will even be left alone. However, you and everybody else will die.

If you fail to choose either option, the Evil Space Pope will make his offer to someone else.

What do you do? Take him up on his offer, ensure your personal survival, and watch everybody else die? Pick the survivors and guarantee their survival while ensuring that you die? Or let someone else choose and possibly live or die, based on how they choose?

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2005-08-15 08:24pm

Power.

Why?

I have the potiential to save many many more lives that way.

That, and well, I'm an egomaniac....

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2005-08-15 08:31pm

First I'll say no out of irrational "I can't kill people" thoughts. Then once he compromises, Power. The next person will choose power. This way I can choose my family and friends, of whom I most assuredly will not have 100. (I'll randomly choose some with preferance to equalizing gender ratios to carry on the colony).

Also, I'll see if it's possible if the Space Pope will let me use my new technoreligious clout to get some of that ten thousand yaers of knowledge to my hundred survivors.

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2005-08-15 08:33pm

Ghetto Edit- Whoa, wait, I have to die on that one? Can't I save 99 and myself?

I have a nervous breakdown and convince the Evil Space Pope to either go to someone wiser, or flip a coin over which I choose.

LapsedPacifist · Post by **LapsedPacifist** » 2005-08-15 08:56pm

Power. Although the bullshit copout of "another will get to decide" shouldn't even be listed.

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to truly be responsible in this sort of ethical dilemmas is to ensure that as many people die as possible.

What's the classic example of this sort of question? You're backpacking in South/Central America and come upon a military action. They've rounded up 20 villagers that they claim are responsible for "doing bad things"(revolt, drug running, etc.). The leader is flattered to have a foreign observer and offers that if you are personally willing to execute one of these "villains" the rest can go free. Otherwise all 20 will die.

LP

Gosh I hate these questions... I know that responsibility is a poor justification. I know I choose that answer out of spite.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-08-15 10:39pm

Whenever someone puts forth a situation like this, I generally am forced to choose the option that involves the saving of most lives, even at the cost of my own. Yes, you might be able to save more people by becoming the Space Pope, but there's no garuntee that you would be able to do any significant good. It may be cliched, but I doubt I could live with myself knowing that so many have died because of, in part, my actions.

genkkov · Post by **genkkov** » 2005-08-15 11:00pm

How did you hear about my plan! I've been working on that for centuries!

His Evil Spaciness Dimitri the googleplexeth and twenty third

DrkHelmet · Post by **DrkHelmet** » 2005-08-15 11:01pm

I'm egocentric, along with slightly psychopathic. I'd have to go with power.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-08-16 01:12am

Smile, reach out your hand, and then whip out a holdout pistol and shoot the sadistic bastard.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2005-08-16 01:15am

I accept neither parole, nor special favors from the enemy. Hopefully everyone else feels the same.

LapsedPacifist · Post by **LapsedPacifist** » 2005-08-16 01:18am

The problem with this question is that it's possible to "win". Refuse to answer and arrange for the next guy up to pick you and your family. Hell, even if he doesn't you still "win" by choosing to die with your family.

LP

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2005-08-16 01:24am

This one's easy, no reason to take him at his word. Better to figure out a way to kill or disable him.

Its almost like creating a false dilemma. Offer and take no quarter against an enemy who will slaughter your friends and family mercilessly.

Brian

Qwerty 42 · Post by **Qwerty 42** » 2005-08-19 11:25pm

let's see, he's willing to wipe out an entire colony just so he can recruit someone to join an organization that condones such behavior?

Option B, nary a second thought.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-08-20 03:05am

I'm assuming that the option of killing him and creating a mass revolt against the aliens is impossible. Neither can I choose power and use that power to kill the pope, free everyone, yadda yadda yadda.

So I refuse and save my friends and anyone else I can find instead. Or, I might refuse to answer, and have and ask if an senior citizen can do it, someone who has lived almost all of their life. Assuming multiple people can choose the option of saving lives, you could have a few old ones die to save the entire colony, with one who takes the power. Of course, Space Pope would know that we were cheating and would eliminate us all. But let's ignore that, and think about how ugly a conversation to Gramps about sacrficing himself would be.

darthdavid · Post by **darthdavid** » 2005-08-20 03:10am

I chose option D. I kick him in the nads (you said he was human), steal his gun and take down as many of the mother fuckers as I can.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2005-08-20 11:15am

The easiest way would be for him to sign over the power right there, then order the Holy Guards to stop the execution of the colonists and kill the Space Pope immediately. You wouldn't get his accumulated knowledge, but you would have his religious and political authority.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-08-21 01:10am

What if you weren't handed the authority immediately, but rather after your training/indoctrination? Any rational Space Pope would do that. Besides, that's cheating the ethical dilemna that the author intended.

Lord of the Farce · Post by **Lord of the Farce** » 2005-08-21 02:12am

If you're dead, there's no guarantee that the scum sucker wouldn't turn around and killing whoever he wants afterwards. At least, if you're alive, you might eventually learn enough turn around and stomp the bastard into a smear with his own technology.