Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 17:28:44 GMT -5
I realize it's kind of a morbid topic, but I thought of an interesting philosophical dilemma. Or at least I think it's interesting.
Let's say an astronomer or scientist learns of an impending cataclysmic event that will kill all life on earth, like a asteroid strike or other cosmological event like the earth getting swallowed by a black hole. The astronomer/scientist informs the government(s) of the world. Does the government have a moral or ethical responsibility to tell the public at large that the end is nigh? Or would it simply be better to keep it a secret and let the public go about the remainder of their lives until the event occurs. Would you personally want to know, and if so, how would you want to spend the remainder of your time and what would you want to be doing at the end? How do you think the general public would react to such news?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 17:31:29 GMT -5
I don't want the government to treat me like a child. I don't want the government censoring what facts it thinks I am capable of dealing with.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 17:36:31 GMT -5
I don't want the government to treat me like a child. I don't want the government censoring what facts it thinks I am capable of dealing with. I agree with you on a personal level. However, it's unknown how the general public would react to the news. If it would cause chaos and devastation, would it be worth it?
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Mar 11, 2015 17:38:48 GMT -5
I don't want the government to treat me like a child. I don't want the government censoring what facts it thinks I am capable of dealing with. Agreed, but there are a lot of people who I would feel like the government does need to censor this information. There would be mass panic/chaos with an announcement like this. Crime would skyrocket. Not exactly how I want to spend my last days.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Mar 11, 2015 17:39:05 GMT -5
I would not want to know nor would I want the public informed. There would be mass panic and mayham and possible mass suicides and what if they were wrong? I mean, it IS the government we are talking about here. The chances would be very likely that they perceived what was said in the wrong way.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 11, 2015 17:39:10 GMT -5
"We can't announce that the world is going to be destroyed because it might lead to destruction of the world." You mean something like that?
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Mar 11, 2015 17:39:59 GMT -5
Yes. You should have the right to make your peace with your own fate. Just like you shouldn't hide someone's terminal illness from them either.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Mar 11, 2015 17:45:23 GMT -5
Yes. You should have the right to make your peace with your own fate. Just like you shouldn't hide someone's terminal illness from them either. To me that is totally different as it has nothing to do with everybody but that individual. That I'd also want to know. If every body is going to die what will your last bit of quality life be? You'd be freaking out and all upset and not enjoying it. And you could possibly be freaking your kids out by how you are behaving... Are you sure you'd want to know?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 17:47:41 GMT -5
Given that without the government you'd never know anyway...
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on Mar 11, 2015 17:49:26 GMT -5
I would not want to know nor would I want the public informed. There would be mass panic and mayham and possible mass suicides and what if they were wrong? I mean, it IS the government we are talking about here. The chances would be very likely that they perceived what was said in the wrong way. And, if you were a total abstainer of animal products......would you meet your end with that unanswered question stuck in your head: "Gee , I wonder if ice cream really was any good?"
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Mar 11, 2015 17:49:45 GMT -5
Yes. You should have the right to make your peace with your own fate. Just like you shouldn't hide someone's terminal illness from them either. To me that is totally different as it has nothing to do with everybody but that individual. That I'd also want to know. If every body is going to die what will your last bit of quality life be? You'd be freaking out and all upset and not enjoying it. And you could possibly be freaking your kids out by how you are behaving... Are you sure you'd want to know? Yes.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Mar 11, 2015 17:50:43 GMT -5
Ok. But please don't post it here. Just PM hickle privately.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Mar 11, 2015 17:51:07 GMT -5
Personally, I don't think I would want to know. For one, I have no desire to sit around thinking about "the end." It would be like someone telling a person they are going to die in a car crash with no control over the outcome. It is what it is... I tell the people in my life how much I care about them all the time because no one has a crystal ball and knows what will happen tomorrow.
I also don't care to spend my last days in complete and utter chaos with people freaking the hell out and acting like idiots (which is exactly what would happen).
As I stated, these are my personal feelings and I completely understand why other people would choose to know this information. If I had an illness, yes I would want to know but a major catastrophe that I have no control over - yeah, not something I would want to know.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 11, 2015 18:02:53 GMT -5
I would want the world to know from the beginning..
Fear of panic and crime is going to happen anyway whether people are told when first discovered and confirmed or during the very last days.
I would especially want families with young children to know early so they can plan ahead, whatever those plans may be. Young folks planning on starting a family may want to no longer consider it.
For myself, I don't want to hang around for the final days. I would like a peaceful suicide of my choice and time.
Many of you probably never read or heard of the movie, On The Beach. The last living humans were in Australia. The government provided medicine to all citizens for those who wished to end their lives rather than from nuclear poisoning. That is what I would wish for.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Mar 11, 2015 18:06:46 GMT -5
Part of me would want to know just for me personally.
But a bigger part of me would not want to know because I wouldn't want to have to deal with chaos and destruction caused by others in my final days and hours.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Mar 11, 2015 18:07:47 GMT -5
So Phoenix84: in your government duties, have you tripped over an ELE?
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 11, 2015 18:09:32 GMT -5
'The End' is not something you will notice just moments before it happens. You will probably have several months, even several years notice before it happens because it will most likely be quite visible in the skies.
It won't be a poof! event but a long drawn out affair.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Mar 11, 2015 18:25:32 GMT -5
Yes. I would want to know.
What would I do? Quit my job, pull the kids out of school and do whatever the heck we pleased. I'd probably live in the moment as much as possible. I'd also get high once (or maybe twice..something beyond pot) , just to see what all the fuss is about. It won't matter to make lasting memories..because no one will be alive to pass those memories on.
I also really don't fear the end. It's going to happen for me at some point. I believe that final journey will be a peaceful one, and frankly, I'm OK with going. I've led a full life. I'm lucky.
I think I've learned most of my life lessons. My progression of learning my life lessons has rapidly slowed down as I've aged.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 18:27:12 GMT -5
Realistically, I doubt the government could keep the end of the world a secret if it really was going to happen. Sooner or later someone would spill the beans.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 18:32:03 GMT -5
I don't know if there would be chaos, sky high crime rates, panic or not.
Looking at past examples (though nothing approaching the end of the world) it's easy to find examples of chaos, and examples where the best of humanity is on display.
Take 9/11 for instance, overall, it appeared to me people really came together and helped each other out. Compare that to hurricane Katrina, and you get a very different picture with crime running rampant.
Human nature is really hard to predict. It's hard to say if there would be chaos, or if people would really come together.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Mar 11, 2015 18:34:22 GMT -5
If the government found out there was some kind of extinction level event about to occur I think our elected officials abandoning their jobs and pulling their kids from school would be the first sign something is up. I'd want to know because I would want to enjoy my time left rather than sit in front of a computer at work when the end comes. I'd spend the final moments surrounded by loved ones which is about the best you can hope for when your time is up.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 18:35:53 GMT -5
So Phoenix84: in your government duties, have you tripped over an ELE? I can neither confirm nor deny.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 18:38:50 GMT -5
'The End' is not something you will notice just moments before it happens. You will probably have several months, even several years notice before it happens because it will most likely be quite visible in the skies. It won't be a poof! event but a long drawn out affair. Depends on the event. As Dark said, an asteroid strike could happen with minimal warning. There's a lot of crap zipping around in space, and we haven't ID'd nearly all of it.
Fortunately, space is pretty big, so chances are it will keep missing us... but the chances aren't 0.
In fact, a asteroid strike like the one that took out the dinosaurs WILL happen again, the only question is... when.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 11, 2015 18:40:27 GMT -5
'The End' is not something you will notice just moments before it happens. You will probably have several months, even several years notice before it happens because it will most likely be quite visible in the skies. It won't be a poof! event but a long drawn out affair. Depends. An asteroid could hit with pretty minimal warning. It might not destroy all life on earth though. It's happened before, and wiped out the dinosaurs, but life continued to exist. I believe we would have some well advanced notice a comet or asteroid was going to strike Earth. If scientists have the capability, knowledge and skills to land a spacecraft on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which they did last fall, they should be able to call a probable hit on Earth well in advance. Earth being swallowed up by our sun or a black hole would be an extended noticeable event.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 18:40:45 GMT -5
I think the more interesting question is whether the scientist who found out about the event would even tell the government? I mean, would you? I don't trust them to handle it well. I don't trust the public to react well if word got out. I'd be tempted to keep my trap shut and be the only person who knew the world was ending to be honest. Borrow as much money as you can get your hands on and live it up in the time you have left. Why tell anybody else? But then what chance would we have for Bruce Willis or Robert Duvall to save us all?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 11, 2015 18:41:20 GMT -5
If the government found out there was some kind of extinction level event about to occur I think our elected officials abandoning their jobs and pulling their kids from school would be the first sign something is up. I'd want to know because I would want to enjoy my time left rather than sit in front of a computer at work when the end comes. I'd spend the final moments surrounded by loved ones which is about the best you can hope for when your time is up. Or be asleep for it. If it's the end of the world, you don't want to miss it in bed.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Mar 11, 2015 18:48:05 GMT -5
If the government found out there was some kind of extinction level event about to occur I think our elected officials abandoning their jobs and pulling their kids from school would be the first sign something is up. I'd want to know because I would want to enjoy my time left rather than sit in front of a computer at work when the end comes. I'd spend the final moments surrounded by loved ones which is about the best you can hope for when your time is up. Or be asleep for it. If it's the end of the world, you don't want to miss it in bed. Speak for yourself! I would. Either way - sleeping or whatever... I'm good!
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Mar 11, 2015 18:49:55 GMT -5
If the government found out there was some kind of extinction level event about to occur I think our elected officials abandoning their jobs and pulling their kids from school would be the first sign something is up. I'd want to know because I would want to enjoy my time left rather than sit in front of a computer at work when the end comes. I'd spend the final moments surrounded by loved ones which is about the best you can hope for when your time is up. Or be asleep for it. If it's the end of the world, you don't want to miss it in bed. Au contraire - - being in bed with your honey is the best way I can think of to go out with a bang
ETA: Peace Of Mind beat me to it!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 18:50:11 GMT -5
I think the more interesting question is whether the scientist who found out about the event would even tell the government? I mean, would you? I don't trust them to handle it well. I don't trust the public to react well if word got out. I'd be tempted to keep my trap shut and be the only person who knew the world was ending to be honest. Borrow as much money as you can get your hands on and live it up in the time you have left. Why tell anybody else? I would borrow as much money as I could and short the S&P 500.
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Virgil Showlion
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Post by Virgil Showlion on Mar 11, 2015 19:01:25 GMT -5
I realize it's kind of a morbid topic, but I thought of an interesting philosophical dilemma. Or at least I think it's interesting.
Let's say an astronomer or scientist learns of an impending cataclysmic event that will kill all life on earth, like a asteroid strike or other cosmological event like the earth getting swallowed by a black hole. The astronomer/scientist informs the government(s) of the world. Does the government have a moral or ethical responsibility to tell the public at large that the end is nigh? Or would it simply be better to keep it a secret and let the public go about the remainder of their lives until the event occurs. Would you personally want to know, and if so, how would you want to spend the remainder of your time and what would you want to be doing at the end? How do you think the general public would react to such news? If global warming policy is any indication, governments' response would be to run around screaming "We're all going to die!" at the tops of their lungs, demonize anyone who suggested otherwise, and set up an international black hole credits exchange so that Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan et al. could at least get rich while Earth was compressed into a singularity.
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