Open thread, February 15-28, 2013

David_Gerard

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post, even in Discussion, it goes here.

Omega appears and makes you the arbiter over life and death. Refuse, and everybody dies.

The task is this: You are presented with n (say, 1000) individuals and have to select a certain number who are to survive.

You can query Omega for their IQ, their life story and most anything that comes to mind, you cannot meet them in person. You know none of them personally.

You cannot base your decision on their expected life span. (Omega matches them in life expectancy brackets.)

You also cannot base your decision on their expected charitable donations, or a proxy thereof.

What do?

The key question is: "Why is Omega playing that game with you?"

5Elithrion13y

Find out all their credit card/online banking information (they won't need them when they're dead), find out which ones will most likely reward/worship you for sparing them, cash in, use resources for whatever you want (including, but not limited to, basking in filthy lucre). Or were you looking for an altruistic solution? (In which case, pick some arbitrary criteria for whom you like best, or who you think will most improve the world, and go with that.)

3drethelin13y

Kill all the dirty blues to make the world a better place for us noble greens

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Open thread, February 15-28, 2013

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