PDA

View Full Version : Can you justify our continued existence?

m1illion
09-01-2005, 02:08 AM
You awaken one morning and find God/alien life form standing next to your bed.
"I am going to destroy Earth and all its inhabitants unless you can give me a reason not to", it says.
What now?
xniNja
09-01-2005, 03:00 AM
1) What? before I'm ridiculously rich? No way man.
2) Just gimme a few weeks to get with this hot asian classmate.
3) We'll be gone soon anyway, and the M6 doesn't come out for at least another few months.
09-01-2005, 03:28 AM
The 2 + 2 forums!?

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Do I win something?
m1illion
09-01-2005, 06:38 AM
So with 45+ views and no attempts to justify the continued existence of humanity, I'd say that the evidence is mounting that all this debate about philosophy,logic and so forth is a waste of energy since our existence is worthless.
Which is the case nonetheless, since:
1. What I believe today I may not believe tomorrow.
2. What is true today may not be true tomorrow.

Never forget that Shakespeare was right.
PLOlover
09-01-2005, 06:52 AM
[ QUOTE ]
You awaken one morning and find God/alien life form standing next to your bed.
"I am going to destroy Earth and all its inhabitants unless you can give me a reason not to", it says.
What now?

[/ QUOTE ]

What a softball. You get him to admit he will not do it if there are x number of good people on earth, then "jew" him down to say, just one. Just one good person, and the earth will be saved!

Hey, it's worked before.
chezlaw
09-01-2005, 06:54 AM
[ QUOTE ]
You awaken one morning and find God/alien life form standing next to your bed.
"I am going to destroy Earth and all its inhabitants unless you can give me a reason not to", it says.
What now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not before the fifth test please.

chez
m1illion
09-01-2005, 07:02 AM
That this question renders people impotent is fascinating.
chezlaw
09-01-2005, 07:07 AM
[ QUOTE ]
That this question renders people impotent is fascinating.

[/ QUOTE ]

You obviously missed the first four. God will have seen them and understand.

chez
m1illion
09-01-2005, 07:12 AM
[ QUOTE ]
That this question renders people impotent is fascinating.

[/ QUOTE ]
chezlaw
09-01-2005, 07:16 AM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That this question renders people impotent is fascinating.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/grin.gif
09-01-2005, 08:14 AM
Aliens:
- Conservation of stuff argument:
"We are the product of this particular planet, and the most intelligent and sentient creatures it has ever produced. That has to be worth something, no matter how many billions of times life has arisen elsewhere."

- Utility argument:
"We'll make good slaves if you don't kill us"

- Semantics argument:
"Because I have hot date with a female of my species next week. You didn't ask for a good reason."

- Reverse psychology (Eastwood style):
"Go ahead, make my day"
09-01-2005, 09:53 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Can you justify our continued existence?

[/ QUOTE ]

umm...We are living things that can reproduce?
09-01-2005, 09:56 AM
Since he's gentle enough to ask first you take him hostage and ask the Alien version of David Sklansky to answer this:

"You have the chance to save your alien and leave earth alone or he'll face torture until he die...what will it be?"
jakethebake
09-01-2005, 09:57 AM
[ QUOTE ]
You awaken one morning and find God/alien life form standing next to your bed.
"I am going to destroy Earth and all its inhabitants unless you can give me a reason not to", it says.
What now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Why?
Cooker
09-01-2005, 10:33 AM
The reason people don't respond to this question is because it is meaningless.

Here is how I address the alien/God: "Can a hitch a ride to where ever you are going after you are done?"

In order to answer the question you will need to know what the alien/God values, why it wants to destroy Earth, and then convince it that it gets a higher EV from not destroying Earth than it would from destroying it. Without this information it would obviously be impossible to give a good reason other than by dumb luck since Earth and its inhabitants have no intrinsic value.

If God comes and said "all things are a part of me and my Earth is really hurting. I think I will give myself a quick Earthendectomy unless you can give me a reason not to." Now unless you know why his Earth is hurting and can cure it in a more efficient way than simply destroying it or unless you convince him that no Earth would hurt even worse than Earth in its current state you are probably out of luck.

If the alien/God won't tell you what he values then you have no chance to succeed since you are going to have 1 chance to pick from an infinite space of possible answers. Although I would still shy away from "Chairs examine sauage factories every Tuesday" and similar such statements.