A thought experiment on Empathy and Altruism

Discussion in 'General' started by doomed, Oct 4, 2011.

  1. Between

    OPTION A

    the option of the most pleasurable life you can ever imagine..

    The truest love with the girl/guy of your dreams
    The best and most authentic friends
    Exactly enough resources to DO EVERYTHING you can dream of, traveling the world, becoming an artist....doing whatever you want whenever you want
    Being able to make everyone happy and ending poverty

    Literally the most ridiculously pleasurable life you can every conceive, constant euphoria,

    And not only you experiance it, but if you choose Option A, everyone you love gets the same fufilment you get.

    BUT

    If you choose option A, the entire world will be destroyed in 300 years, AFTER EVERYONE YOU CAN POSSIBLY KNOW HAS DIED AND LIVED A GREAT LIFE

    And no, nobody can have kids to experiance the worlds destruction.


    OR


    Option B,


    things stay how they are



    What would you choose?

    Option A? Where you have total happiness, and everyone you can possibly feel empathy for has total happiness, but the world gets destroyed after you die and have no stake?


    Or Option B?

    Where things stay the same, AND the world is gurenteed to exist until the Sun expands and eats it
     
  2. Read the entire thought experiment before voting

    there are details crucial to making a decision from the begining of the op to the end
     
  3. Option B of course.
     
  4. what

    why

    you have no stake
     
  5. Because option A is selfish and I'm a selfless kind of guy.

    Yeah, yeah, everyone I know will get the same fulfillment of happiness as I do and that itself is not selfish, but it is to all the people who will exist in the future.
     
  6. i respect that

    fa real
     
  7. I chose option B simply because of one aspect.

    You rob yourself of experiencing life in it's truest nature if you cater to the masses with such overindulgence.
     
  8. I don't want to take away the future to save the now. Everyone can find their own happiness, happiness that comes in the fulfillment of your love towards others, yourself, and the world at whole. Choosing an option to make everyone happy makes it so people can't find their own happiness, something i think is a pivotal part of living on this Earth.

    Also, happy times without sad times just become times. Feeling happy is so genuine because it is fleeting. Life is a rollercoaster but I prefer it that way, without challenges humans go no where
     
  9. Option A is Self interest, Empathy derived from self interest, and reasonable

    Option B is Altruism


    If Option B gets more votes then Option A, the world is in safe hands

    I voted for Option A without a iota of shame
     
  10. I voted A.

    Earth is merely a spec of dust in contrast to the rest of the universe. Fuck it.
     
  11. ^ So you would be responsible for the destruction of what may be the only bastion of life in the entire universe?

    Srsly?
     
  12. I choose A. The way the worlds going it will end in 300 years anyway so fuck it.
    I know you said the world will go till the sin explodes but you didn't say humans will survive, I dont have faith they will. As for animals, sorry yo.
     

  13. I think it's ridiculous to believe we're the only life in the entire universe. I my self believe there are countless species, countless societies, countless worlds. Losing one forever doesn't mean much...who knows, there might be an exact duplicate of "us" out there somewhere. I guess I just think deep about things.
     

  14. No it would be gurenteed existance for the next billion years maybe


    thats why you gotta read the whole first post brah

    no going back now
     
  15. You already stated that you would.

    Why can't he?
     

  16. you'd take that gamble?
     
  17. A. My life is about me and my experiences.............
     

  18. considering the vastness of everything, I would.
     
  19. [quote name='"doomed"']

    No it would be gurenteed existance for the next billion years maybe

    thats why you gotta read the whole first post brah

    no going back now[/quote]

    Sorry I messed up and sent send, I'm on my phone, I edited it with the rest if my explanation.
     
  20. I couldn't live happy knowing that i single handedly destroyed the world. Option B
     

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