Konkvistador comments on Irrationality Game II - Less Wrong

13 [deleted] 03 July 2012 06:50PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 16 August 2012 07:26:58PM *  4 points [-]

SCP-231. I'm not linking directly to it, please consider carefully if you want to read it. Curiosity over something intellectually stimulating but dangerous is one thing, but this one is just emotional torment for torment's sake. If you've read SCP before (I mostly dislike their stuff), you might be guessing which one I'm talking about - so no need to re-read it, dude.

Straw Utilitarian exclaims: "Ha easy! Our world has many tortured children, adding one more is a trival cost to pay for continued human existence." But yes imagining me being put in a position to decide on something like that caused me quite a bit of emotional distress. Trying to work out what I should do according to my ethical system (spaghetti code virtue ethics), honourable suicide and resignation seems a potentially viable option since my consequentialism infected brain cells yell at me for trying hair brained schemes to help the girl.

On a lighter note my favourite SCP.

The members of SCP-1845 are physiologically indistinct from normal animals of their species. However, the animals have been demonstrated to possess near-human intelligence, the ability to construct simple tools from objects in their habitat and introduced by the Foundation, and a system of government modeled on medieval European feudalism.

...

CP-1845-1 is the "leader" of the colony and the only member of the group observed to be able to use the installed keyboard. SCP-1845-1 considers itself to be of royal heritage and identifies itself using the title "His Royal Highness, Eugenio the Second, by the Grace of God, King of the Forest, Lord of the Plains, Duke of the Grand Fir and the Undergrowth, Count of the Swamp, Margrave of ██ ███████, Warden of All the Streams and Rivers, and Lord Protector of the Cities of Man, Defender of the Faith." SCP-1845-1 identifies itself and its followers as Roman Catholics and appears to be extremely pious in its devotions - it has been observed on video praying over its meals and observing holidays and saintly feast days, and has been observed to order punishments against other members of the colony for perceived lack of piety.

...

SCP-1845-1 has asserted that it was not responsible for the "war" that led to its discovery and capture, and that it was retaliating against an uprising on the part of one of its "subjects", a Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) it identified as "Duke Baxter of the West Bay." SCP-1845-1 spoke vitriolically of said deer, describing it as "a most uncouth usurper, rogue, and Protestant" who it claimed had, "having accused them falsely of witchcraft, assassinated our Queen Consort, the Prince of █████ █████, and our other royal issue", and of turning a large portion of the nobility and peasantry against it. It insists that the deer is still at large and marshalling its forces against its nation, and that once it is released from captivity it will defeat it. No deer matching the description given by SCP-1845-1 is among the members of SCP-1845 or was found among those killed during the raid.

Ah the entry is tragically incomplete!

The Catholic faith of the animals was not surprising since contact with SPC-3471 by agent ███ █████ and other LessWrong Computational Theology division cell members have received proof of Catholicism's consistency under CEV as well as indications it represented a natural Schelling point of mammalian morality. First pausing to praise the sovereigns taste in books, the existence of Protestantism has lead Dr. █████ █████ to speculate SPC-4271 ("w-force") has become active in species besides Homo Sapiens violating the 2008 Trilateral Blogosphere Accords. He advises full military support to Eugenio the Second in stamping out rebellion and termination of all animals currently under the rule under Duke Baxter of the West Bay.

"Kill them all. For SPC-3471 knows them that are His."

Adding:

"Nuke the site from orbit, its the only way to be sure."

Comment author: Multiheaded 17 August 2012 08:46:52AM 1 point [-]

Yep, suicide is probably what I'd do as well, personally, but the story itself is incoherent (as noted in the page discussion) and even without resorting to other SCPs there seem to be many, many alternatives to consider (at the very least they could have made the torture fully automated!). As I've said, it's constructed purely as horror/porn and not as an ethical dilemma.

BTW simply saying that "Catholicism" is consistent under something or other is quite meaningless, as "C." doesn't make for a very coherent system as seen through Papal policy and decisions of any period. Will would've had to point to a specific eminent theologian, like Aquinas, and then carefully choose where and how to expand - for now, Will isn't doing much with his "Catholicism" strictly speaking, just writing emotionally tinged bits of cosmogony and game theory.

Comment author: [deleted] 17 August 2012 09:45:45AM *  2 points [-]

Yep, suicide is probably what I'd do as well, personally, but the story itself is incoherent (as noted in the page discussion) and even without resorting to other SCPs there seem to be many, many alternatives to consider (at the very least they could have made the torture fully automated!). As I've said, it's constructed purely as horror/porn and not as an ethical dilemma.

I mentally iron man such details when presented with such scenarios. Often its the only way for me to keep suspension of disbelief and continue to enjoy fiction. To give a trivial fix to your nitpick, the ritual requires not only the suffering of the victim to be undiminished but also the sexual pleasure of the torturer and/or rapist to be present, automating it is therefore not viable.

BTW simply saying that "Catholicism" is consistent under something or other is quite meaningless, as "C." doesn't make for a very coherent system as seen through Papal policy and decisions of any period. Will would've had to point to a specific eminent theologian, like Aquinas, and then carefully choose where and how to expand - for now, Will isn't doing much with his "Catholicism" strictly speaking, just writing emotionally tinged bits of cosmogony and game theory.

Do not overanalyse the technobabble it ruins suspension of disbelief. And what is a SPC without technobabble? Can I perhaps then interest you in a web based Marxist state?

Also who is this Will? I deny all knowledge of him!

Comment author: Multiheaded 22 November 2012 01:31:02PM 0 points [-]

Trying to work out what I should do according to my ethical system (spaghetti code virtue ethics), honourable suicide and resignation seems a potentially viable option

An agent placed in similar circumstances before did just that.

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