The "Greater good."

Bipolar Joe

Let's say in two days a bunch of bombs are gonna go off around the world, millions of people are gonna die, probably billions. If they die, then after the clean up Earth will be a utopia forever. No more bullsh!t, no more war, no more hate, everything will be peachy. The people that will die aren't bad or evil, just ordinary folks going about their lives. Only you know where the bombs are and can tell people in charge how to stop them going off (We'll say the people that put them there all killed themselves). Do you let all those people die for a brighter future or save them?

Pushtrak

There would be no brighter future in such a scenario. Culling off the population isn't a "happy place" maker. Faulty premise, so I'd inform.

jester77

I would call Jack Bauer, he would only need 1 day

Duggy747

Sounds like one of those sterile, boring worlds you see in futuristic sci-fi movies where everyone wears gowns and talk like posh Brits.

Then I'll have to curse just so I can get enough fine papers to wipe my hole because I'll have no idea how to operate the 3 shells

Anyways, that kind of world would never last and we'd resort back to where we began all over again.

WindSock

I am presuming these hypothetical people aren't friends, family or anyone we hold dear to ourselves.

forfuxsake

or we could open up 'labour camps' and exterminate the genetically inferior, that way the future would only have beautiful, intelligent, successful, hard-working people. ya.

CommanderC

Id tell because I know that there are a lot of good, kind hearted people out there and I believe that it would not be fair to ask them to sacrifice themselves for a Utopia that they will not get to be part of. Its not their fault that there are so many ass holes around from durt burds to dictators.

Bipolar Joe

WindSock wrote: »

I am presuming these hypothetical people aren't friends, family or anyone we hold dear to ourselves.

They're random people, so the chances of them being one of those things is as good as the rest of the population.

Ghandee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUGSYDKUxU

af_thefragile

No it'ld just be america and israel blowing up the world. Why would you want that?!

Nothingbetter2d

mass sterilization would be the better option

MisterEpicurus

You would just be prolonging the inevitable. When the population recovered you would find newer hierarchies and power struggles, probably worse than we have today. So either way, you're just killing the cancer by 99% and letting it regrow back to kill you off completely.

ChunkyLover_53

Have a dental appointment in 2 days...sorry world.

Bipolar Joe

The future is GUARANTEED to be utopian if the bombs go off, 100%. Also, the people who planted the bombs aren't any particular nationality, they're a group from all over the planet who believe in their cause.

Dravokivich

There is no good if there isn't anything to balance it against...

OldGoat

You can simulate your thought experiment for real by putting 90% of AH users on Ignore and only keeping those users who don't irk you. Soon enough there will be new users who don't conform to your ideal. Count the days till AH returns to it's usual chaotic magnificent anal retentive self.

Oh, I'd press the button. For giggles if nothing else.

Sindri

What does the Atari Jaguar option entail?

Bipolar Joe

Sindri wrote: »

What does the Atari Jaguar option entail?

You tell one random person and fob the deal off to them. The timer doesn't restart, but they now have less time to make the decision.

Sindri

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

You tell one random person and fob the deal off to them. The timer doesn't restart, but they now have less time to make the decision.

Ah, so you took that option.

Paparazzo

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

The future is GUARANTEED to be utopian if the bombs go off, 100%. Also, the people who planted the bombs aren't any particular nationality, they're a group from all over the planet who believe in their cause.

How could it be utopia if half your family and friends were killed by the bombs?

Jester252

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

The future is GUARANTEED to be utopian if the bombs go off, 100%. Also, the people who planted the bombs aren't any particular nationality, they're a group from all over the planet who believe in their cause.

So a bomb make the world a better place. From the past it seems to just make you into weird porn

Bipolar Joe

Paparazzo wrote: »

How could it be utopia if half your family and friends were killed by the bombs?

Magic, I don't know.

Paulie Gualtieri

sounds kinda like the movie demolition man , where you can't have sex and get fined for saying c##t , bollix , wa#ker etc ,

seamus

Every person's idea of utopia differs. It is in fact this individuality which causes conflict to arise in the first place. So the only possible human utopia which could exist is one where everyone except one solitary loner is killed.

And I'm not a solitary loner, therefore I would be killed by all the bombs, so no, I wouldn't let the bombs go off.

Bipolar Joe

You're allowed to curse, sure. Mostly everyone decides not to piss anyone else off or hurt others.

seamus

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

Mostly everyone decides not to piss anyone else off or hurt others.

But what about the solitary loner who is pissed off simply by the existence of other people? It's too airy-fairy.

Simple answer: If I was given the choice that I would die and everyone else would live in a better world, or I would live and nothing would change, then I would choose to live.

So I would make that same choice for everyone else and let them live.

Capt'n Midnight

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

The future is GUARANTEED to be utopian if the bombs go off, 100%. Also, the people who planted the bombs aren't any particular nationality, they're a group from all over the planet who believe in their cause.

Bullcrap like that is how they convince people to fly airliners into skyscrapers :mad:


You can't guarantee.

One man's meat is another man's poison


WWII was the 'war to end all wars'
even before it ended you had
Russian civil war
Russia vs. Poland (actually the Germans and Baltics got involved too)
Greece vs. Turkey (several thousand years of Greek settlement undone)
Armenian Genocide
'police actions' in the Middle East, Brits gassing the Kurds etc.

Before the end of WWII
Greek civil war
Start of the Vietnam war.
Build up to the Korean war
Lots of natives getting uppity in the colonies too


Utopia literally means 'nowhere'
- nearly 400 years later and the penny hasn't dropped. Actually 2,300 years if you look at 'The Republic' by Plato.

Capt'n Midnight

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

You're allowed to curse, sure. Mostly everyone decides not to piss anyone else off or hurt others.

We have a name for that

it's called 'reality'

you should check it out sometime, it's in the big green room with the blue ceiling

Chuck Stone

I like explosions so yes.

Nothingbetter2d

Sindri wrote: »

What does the Atari Jaguar option entail?

it means you play a virtual reality game where you slaughter everyone.

the game is out on atari jaguar console only priced at €9.99 in gamestop

Snowie

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

Let's say in two days a bunch of bombs are gonna go off around the world, millions of people are gonna die, probably billions. If they die, then after the clean up Earth will be a utopia forever. No more bullsh!t, no more war, no more hate, everything will be peachy. The people that will die aren't bad or evil, just ordinary folks going about their lives. Only you know where the bombs are and can tell people in charge how to stop them going off (We'll say the people that put them there all killed themselves). Do you let all those people die for a brighter future or save them?

No more hate ? thats impossible humans are ruled bye emotions

Leeg17

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet to be honest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY

decisions

Leeg17 wrote: »

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet to be honest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY

damn, you just beat me to it.

af_thefragile

Utopia on earth will never happen. Its just the nature of the planet and humans. Neither the planet nor the humans are absolutely perfect. In fact the humans are far far from perfect.

The only way a utopia could be achieved would be if Aldous Huxley's Brave New World becomes a reality.
But then would you really want to live in such a society where literally everything from your conception to your death is controlled by the great powers?

And when individuals strive to create a utopia, you end up with fascism and genocide.

Bipolar Joe

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

We have a name for that

it's called 'reality'

you should check it out sometime, it's in the big green room with the blue ceiling

Wow, your reality sounds pretty great. Mine looks the same, only it's populated by a lot people who go out of their way to make the lives of others difficult, politicians who appear to actively work against the population they're supposed to represent in favour of greed and big business, assorted varieties of bigotry and the destruction of natural resources. Does your reality have room for one more?