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Author Topic: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)  (Read 48108 times)

FallacyofUrist

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #150 on: July 19, 2017, 09:24:05 am »

Eliminate harm done by malicious violence.

Eliminating death by old age, I think, would lead to overpopulation. Just because you can't age to death doesn't mean you can't starve... also, Face of Boe issue. If you keep aging, but can't ever die...

Eliminating harm done by malicious violence has its own issues, but it's a lot easier for society to work around.

Would boxers have malice for each other in the ring?

Police could still inflict harm if necessary if they were properly trained, if their violence had no malice behind it... "we just want to help you!".

Though admittedly, I can't even know if police would be necessary. Well, I can guess, but... does stealing count as harm to somebody, and is the act of it malicious violence?
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Criptfeind

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #151 on: July 19, 2017, 09:30:54 am »

Yeah. I don't think we're ready for "death via old age" to not be a thing... After all, "old age" is really a lot of different conditions that either slowly or quickly build up to death... If it only stopped the last thing that actually killed you we'd eventually have a bunch of crippled old people on the edge of death... That'd be pretty horrifying.

Harm by malicious violence though... Yeah, that's sounds okay. The key word here would be malicious. There's A LOT of harm done that I'm not sure we're ready to remove from society, but often it's hard to qualify such things as malicious. So. I think that'd be an okay thing to remove.

Would boxers have malice for each other in the ring?

That'd be an interesting side effect of it, because I'd say normally no. But certainly if some have a real beef with each other, they might be ironically unable to harm each other.
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #152 on: July 19, 2017, 09:35:42 am »

"And boxer Harris is unaffected whatsoever by boxer Harry's punch! Looks like that punch had some malice behind it!"

There are other issues. What defines harm? If one were to attempt to kill another player in Minecraft, with malice(I want your diamonds!), would any damage occur?
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ChairmanPoo

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #153 on: July 19, 2017, 11:44:43 am »

I'd  elliminate FallacyofUrist by malicious violence.
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Adragis

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #154 on: July 19, 2017, 04:56:37 pm »

"And boxer Harris is unaffected whatsoever by boxer Harry's punch! Looks like that punch had some malice behind it!"

There are other issues. What defines harm? If one were to attempt to kill another player in Minecraft, with malice(I want your diamonds!), would any damage occur?

Let me clarify, then:

Eternal youth and good health for all, or inability to be physically injured without giving consent.
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Dunamisdeos

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #155 on: July 19, 2017, 06:53:08 pm »

Malicious violence, because death by old age is like the failsafe to life it's there for a good reason.

::EDIT::
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« Last Edit: July 19, 2017, 07:23:47 pm by Dunamisdeos »
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crazyabe

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #156 on: July 19, 2017, 06:55:26 pm »

PTW
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #157 on: July 20, 2017, 08:23:07 am »

Well, eternal youth and good health for all is still nasty. Overpopulation is going to be a thing. Especially if that good health can't be removed in any way. I'm still going for the second one.

New hypothetical!
You've been granted the opportunity to grant humanity one of several boons. You have also been granted the opportunity to curse humanity in some way, in exchange for choosing another boon. What would you choose, if any?

Boon of Advancement: Humanity enters a 100-year scientific golden age when you choose this, speeding up scientific progress threefold and increasing how much new and old technology spreads across the world.
Boon of Vigor: Old age ceases to be an inhibiting factor(beyond the fact that it eventually kills you). All the elderly, present and future, now retain the vigor, the vitality, the intelligence, the whatnot, of their younger selves. This doesn't prevent death by old age, but that death is now a painless occurrence that occurs in one's sleep.
Boon of Magic: The supernatural comes to the world. People who study enough can learn to use magic based on their personality. It is a long and arduous process, lasting many years of study and spiritual and mental meditation, but for some, it's worth it.
Boon of Preservation: Humanity is prevented from experiencing apocalypses from now on. Humanity will not experience any apocalypse other than the destruction of their planet via expanding star, as a result of manipulated luck. An apocalypse is defined as any event that lays waste to an entire continent or more, leaving 80% or more of the people within dead.
Boon of Potential: Particularly driven humans who express their determination in some extreme manner will receive the power you know as the Gamer. Various caps are in effect to prevent growth to extreme(read: capable of causing an apocalypse) levels, but it's still quite the power, given just how fast those with the power advance. Should they lose their determination, their power will fade gradually unless they gain their determination back, at which point the power returns in force.
Boon of Wishes: One person other than you of your choice gets an antique lamp, that, when rubbed, unveils a genie. Only the person you choose can make wishes using the genie, however. The genie offers four wishes. The first wish will be granted according to the wish maker's desires completely. The second wish will be granted utterly literally. The third wish will be granted in a horrendous, monkey's paw manner. The fourth wish will only work for 24 hours, unless it is intended to undo the effects of an earlier wish. If anybody other than you and the person you choose learns about the magical properties of the lamp, the lamp explodes. If the person you choose learns that you know the magical properties of the lamp, the lamp explodes. If the genie is asked to resurrect the dead or mind control people, the lamp explodes. If a wish is made for the genie to be freed... well, it may be a good idea, but it depends on what wish is used. Wishes cannot remove Boons or Curses, nor can they accomplish anything on the scale of a Boon or Curse. If a wish is made for more wishes, the lamp explodes.

Curse of Silence: No human can speak, present and forevermore. This also applies to singing and any method of vocalization whatsoever. This also applies to using mechanical devices to create a voice for oneself. Other methods of communication are not effected. The magic detailed in the Boon of Magic often depends on speech, but not always. Furthermore, the sense of hearing of every human being is weakened, and cannot be remedied with hearing aides.
Curse of Conflict: Humanity will never unify into a single government. The fewest governments humanity can be divided into is 4. Luck manipulation will ensure this. Furthermore, governments will constantly be at edge with each other unless they have very strong diplomatic ties, and governments cannot merge except by conquering the other.
Curse of Lycanthropy: Various strains of werecreature disease spread across the world. The strains cannot be cured(not even with magic or super tech or Potential), but it is possible to prevent the disease from taking hold if medical treatment is applied within 24 hours of receiving a werecreature bite. Those with the Gamer power from Potential can learn to exert some(but not complete) control over their were form and learn to change into it outside of the full moon.
Curse of Boon: A random boon other than the ones already chosen and the Boon of Wishes is applied to humanity for 2d40 years. At the end of that time, the boon is removed, and its removal will come as a great shock to humanity, causing devastation(but not a full-scale apocalypse). Furthermore, the boon applied via this curse will have some drawback that makes it much less of a benefit.
Curse of Incursion: Every 3 months, a portal appears somewhere on Earth and some horrible threat from another universe spills out before the portal closes. It will never be apocalyptic in scale, but it won't be good at all for the local area.
Curse of Villain: Some human will utilize the benefits of what Boons you've chosen to become a great villain, one only old age will stop. Whether the villain will be hammy or truly evil is up to the Villain. Whenever the current Villain dies, another one will arise in 10 years. The Villain will always be a significant threat to the nation he or she is in.
Curse of Sloth: Humanity, as a collective, moves more and more towards laziness. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but they will be rare.
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Adragis

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #158 on: July 20, 2017, 08:34:12 am »

Boon of Advancement, bam, done.
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thincake

Criptfeind

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #159 on: July 20, 2017, 09:08:57 am »

Yeah. Boon of advancement seems like pretty okay. I mean... Arguably we're on a course towards self annihilation via science and a rapid increase in technology without time for testing is probably not going to help. But civilizations already in a death spiral right now and seems to need some technological shizwazee to fix it anyway... So, a gamble, but seems worth taking.

Boon of Vigor... Okay. It'd have pretty profound impacts on a lot of thing, including some bad things (arguably with old people able to enforce their will for longer and better social progress will slow down... But maybe not.)

Boon of preservation... Well. That's. A very hard to predict one if it'd be good or bad... But I'd go for it.

Magic and Potential both sound like curses of dictators and bullshit. Pass. Maybe if I specifically got to be a super human person in these scenarios I'd have to decide if I'm greedy enough to fuck up humanity for my own gain... But one can't assume that.

Wishes also sounds awful.

I think the best would be advancement... Although preservation is also temping... Curses wise... Curse of boon might not be TOO bad. Since it doesn't last for too long. Curse of Lycanthropy if you're taking preservation also seems like it'd be okay. I mean... A bit of genocide there. But preservation would keep it from explosively spreading so it'd probably eventually be wiped out. Hum.
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Egan_BW

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #160 on: July 20, 2017, 01:21:05 pm »

Advancement, Magic, Lycanthropy.

Sounds like the one with the most cool shit happening. Don't see how Magic is going to make more dictators and bullshit than Advancement. Lycanthropy can be pretty easily managed, especially with the help of the two boons. Advancement pretty much covers Vigor by itself.
Why would you ever pick Wishes, it's just terrible.

Also Advancement + Magic is probably the best bet to let us figure out how the Boon-Granting Mechanism works, and abuse the hell out of it.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2017, 01:27:00 pm by Egan_BW »
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Criptfeind

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #161 on: July 20, 2017, 04:39:21 pm »

Don't see how Magic is going to make more dictators and bullshit than Advancement.

Cuz with magic you're going to get a select group of people with unfathomable reality breaking powers that don't make sense. Now. Arguably that already sorta exists in a way. A dude flying around throwing fireballs isn't more impressive then a fighter jet. But random mage dude doesn't need nearly the support structure and build up that technology does.

And just like, magic man. You never know. Man meditates for 20 years, gains power to force everyone within 200 miles commit suicide? Stuff like that etc. It's just complete bullshit. It personally discomforts me, at least with advancement, no one will ever know.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2017, 04:41:58 pm by Criptfeind »
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FallacyofUrist

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #162 on: July 24, 2017, 01:58:54 pm »

New hypothetical.

You gain up to 3 supernatural abilities of your choice, subject to the limitation that it must be summed up in one to two words. For each ability you choose, a malicious supernatural entity enters Earth in New York City with the power you choose. What do you choose, if any?
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Dunamisdeos

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #163 on: July 24, 2017, 02:37:46 pm »

Does the supernatural entity have the same powers you do, or do you get to choose their powers too?

Because I'm giving my nemesis the uncontrollable ability to spontaneously create cheap hotdog stands in relevant locations. My two-word powers will be summed up as "Dr. Manhattan".

::EDIT::
If they have to have the same powers as me, we both get the hotdogs.
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IcyTea31

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Re: Hypothetical: What do you do? (What if you had the cure for cancer)
« Reply #164 on: July 24, 2017, 03:57:34 pm »

Advancement, Preservation, Conflict.

Advancement because it has a high chance of providing effects similar to other Boons with its science and technology, and more. Vigor is theoretically doable, Magic is arguably already here, and Potential is plausible if unlikely.

Preservation to avoid the dangers of too rapid scientific advance, as well as to diminish the effects of Conflict. The way it's worded, it seems it applies to any planet we settle on, so it's a cool 5 million or so years to get ourselves around a red dwarf or similarly stable body.

The Curse of Conflict really isn't that bad, especially when coupled with Preservation. It's in human nature to disagree on things, so a single government would either be totalitarian or horribly inefficient at providing to people's needs. Wars and dictators will arise, but will never end the world and won't fully conquer it either.
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