Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Morpheus]

A means also must be provided by which incest does not produce genetic defectiveness- assuming, of course, that New Intellectual would like to create a new human race...

[Morpheus]

Someone asked me once: "If you had to choose between yourself being killed or 1000 other people, what would you choose?" I said, provided none of the 1000 people were any of my loved ones, I would choose to let them die rather than myself. As sad and terrible as their deaths would be, I would still put my own existence first.

As would I.

[<Patrick>]

Someone asked me once: "If you had to choose between yourself being killed or 1000 other people, what would you choose?" I said, provided none of the 1000 people were any of my loved ones, I would choose to let them die rather than myself. As sad and terrible as their deaths would be, I would still put my own existence first.

As would I.

     Thank you.

[Morpheus]

HA. I meant MY own existence.

[<Patrick>]

HA. I meant MY own existence.

THAT IS what I'm thanking you for.

Thank you for not thinking self-immolation is a virtue!

[Terry 1956]

Someone asked me once: "If you had to choose between yourself being killed or 1000 other people, what would you choose?" I said, provided none of the 1000 people were any of my loved ones, I would choose to let them die rather than myself. As sad and terrible as their deaths would be, I would still put my own existence first.

As would I.

None the less ZAP holds you responsible for your desisive actions.

[<Patrick>]

Someone asked me once: "If you had to choose between yourself being killed or 1000 other people, what would you choose?" I said, provided none of the 1000 people were any of my loved ones, I would choose to let them die rather than myself. As sad and terrible as their deaths would be, I would still put my own existence first.

As would I.

None the less ZAP holds you responsible for your desisive actions.

     We are assuming that someone else is doing the aggression. They are just giving us a choice between ourselves or 1000 other people.

[Morpheus]

Exactly.

[RhythmStar]

>>immortal or breed and have kids

Well, I've been sorta agonizing over that bit.  My initial thought was that the two of you would be immortal, but sterile.  However, I am thinking that perhaps I would provide you with the option to make that choice, so the shiny box now has a toggle switch to accompany the button -- switch the toggle to "immortal" and you and your perfect woman are cured of aging (but not invulnerable, so please do be careful), yet unable to bear children.  Switch it to "mortal", and you are both perfectly healthy 18-year olds, in fine form to breed to your heart's content, but also with a normal aging cycle.

BTW, just to show you what a great demi-god I really am, the shiny box has no expiration date, works only for you (non-transferrable), and the deal comes with no strings attached.  Accept the box, and the choice remains yours until you choose or pass on.

So, do you push the button, accept the box and save the button-pushing decision for later, or simply refuse the offer altogether?

RS

[<Patrick>]

>>immortal or breed and have kids

Well, I've been sorta agonizing over that bit.  My initial thought was that the two of you would be immortal, but sterile.  However, I am thinking that perhaps I would provide you with the option to make that choice, so the shiny box now has a toggle switch to accompany the button -- switch the toggle to "immortal" and you and your perfect woman are cured of aging (but not invulnerable, so please do be careful), yet unable to bear children.  Switch it to "mortal", and you are both perfectly healthy 18-year olds, in fine form to breed to your heart's content, but also with a normal aging cycle.

BTW, just to show you what a great demi-god I really am, the shiny box has no expiration date, works only for you (non-transferrable), and the deal comes with no strings attached.  Accept the box, and the choice remains yours until you choose or pass on.

So, do you push the button, accept the box and save the button-pushing decision for later, or simply refuse the offer altogether?

RS

     I think I'll pass. The pros of living is a society with other people and the division of labor it makes possible outweigh the cons.  If we can't breed without being mortal, what's the point? I'd rather live in a society with other people than try to start over.

     Anyway, this whole thing would never happen anyway, so...

     How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

[Morpheus]

A better question would be: how many of those angels are young, attractive females??

[<Patrick>]

A better question would be: how many of those angels are young, attractive females??

     All of them I hope!  

[RhythmStar]

>>immortal or breed and have kids

Well, I've been sorta agonizing over that bit.  My initial thought was that the two of you would be immortal, but sterile.  However, I am thinking that perhaps I would provide you with the option to make that choice, so the shiny box now has a toggle switch to accompany the button -- switch the toggle to "immortal" and you and your perfect woman are cured of aging (but not invulnerable, so please do be careful), yet unable to bear children.  Switch it to "mortal", and you are both perfectly healthy 18-year olds, in fine form to breed to your heart's content, but also with a normal aging cycle.

BTW, just to show you what a great demi-god I really am, the shiny box has no expiration date, works only for you (non-transferrable), and the deal comes with no strings attached.  Accept the box, and the choice remains yours until you choose or pass on.

So, do you push the button, accept the box and save the button-pushing decision for later, or simply refuse the offer altogether?

RS

     I think I'll pass. The pros of living is a society with other people and the division of labor it makes possible outweigh the cons.  If we can't breed without being mortal, what's the point? I'd rather live in a society with other people than try to start over.

     Anyway, this whole thing would never happen anyway, so...

     How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Five, unless it's an inkpen.  

OK, let's move to a more realistic choice.  Imagine it's war.  You and your squad are in a trench, upon which the enemy is advancing.   Suddenly, a live, enemy hand grenade falls into the trench, landing right in front of you.   Do you:

1) Yell grenade and run like hell?

2) Yell grenade and try to climb out of the trench?

3) Realize that you have no time to flee, yell grenade, take off your helmet as you leap onto the grenade, shielding your squad from the shrapnel with your helmet and body?



RS

[<Patrick>]

>>immortal or breed and have kids

Well, I've been sorta agonizing over that bit.  My initial thought was that the two of you would be immortal, but sterile.  However, I am thinking that perhaps I would provide you with the option to make that choice, so the shiny box now has a toggle switch to accompany the button -- switch the toggle to "immortal" and you and your perfect woman are cured of aging (but not invulnerable, so please do be careful), yet unable to bear children.  Switch it to "mortal", and you are both perfectly healthy 18-year olds, in fine form to breed to your heart's content, but also with a normal aging cycle.

BTW, just to show you what a great demi-god I really am, the shiny box has no expiration date, works only for you (non-transferrable), and the deal comes with no strings attached.  Accept the box, and the choice remains yours until you choose or pass on.

So, do you push the button, accept the box and save the button-pushing decision for later, or simply refuse the offer altogether?

RS

     I think I'll pass. The pros of living is a society with other people and the division of labor it makes possible outweigh the cons.  If we can't breed without being mortal, what's the point? I'd rather live in a society with other people than try to start over.

     Anyway, this whole thing would never happen anyway, so...

     How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Five, unless it's an inkpen.  

OK, let's move to a more realistic choice.  Imagine it's war.  You and your squad are in a trench, upon which the enemy is advancing.   Suddenly, a live, enemy hand grenade falls into the trench, landing right in front of you.   Do you:

1) Yell grenade and run like hell?

2) Yell grenade and try to climb out of the trench?

3) Realize that you have no time to flee, yell grenade, take off your helmet as you leap onto the grenade, shielding your squad from the shrapnel with your helmet and body?



RS

     What about #4: Try to throw the grenade back?

     But I'll stay within the three choices you gave me. Depending on the situation, I choose #1 or #2. I would try to escape with my life (if there was time). It seems like #3 is a death sentence either way.

     No matter what specific scenario you think up, I will not sacrifice myself for the sake of others. Sorry.  

     Now, what if I was a civilian in the middle of a war zone, and I was hiding in a trench with my wife and kids when a live grenade fell in? Well, I would not want to go on living without my loved ones, so yes, I would jump on the grenade to save them.
   
     But this is NOT a sacrifice: they are so important to me that I would not want to live without them. In other words, It's for my own self-interested reasons that I am saving their lives, because my life would loose all meaning if they died. I would rather die knowing they were safe than go on living without them.

     To say "I Love You" to someone you love... You must first know how to say the "I"...

[RhythmStar]

Well, the issue here is not clear self-sacrifice to save others, it is to have the courage to save others when you are most probably already lost anyway.  In otherwords, do you trade a 5% chance of personal survival for a 100% chance of group survival, when the most likely outcome is that everyone is either killed or horribly maimed if you choose not to cover the grenade.

BTW, few if any know how they will actually act in such a case.  

RS