Hypothetical : stop existing or randomly become any person on the worl

[valenzuela]

So would you rather stop existing or randomly become any person in the world.

I personally would choose stop existing without thinking twice, does this mean that we can safely say that the world is a piece of [censored]?

[SNOWBALL]

yeah I agree. Life is pretty terrible for a lot of people afaik.

[luckyme]

ok, I give up.
What's the difference between A and B?

luckyme

[Justin A]

[ QUOTE ]
ok, I give up.
What's the difference between A and B?

luckyme

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha I was thinking along those same lines but I couldn't figure how to say it so succinctly.

[Kimbell175113]

Assuming I can't just take the freeroll of the random shot and then killing myself if I'm not Bill Gates or whatever, then yeah, stop existing.

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
Assuming I can't just take the freeroll of the random shot and then killing myself if I'm not Bill Gates or whatever, then yeah, stop existing.

[/ QUOTE ]

hmmm. I didn't read the option as merely a change of body and identity papers, I read it as 'become another person'. Perhaps reading it as, "you'll have Bill Gates or the bag ladies body and we'll do a brain transplant". I'd take my chances on working my way back here, what the heck, the house will be empty and well stocked.

luckyme

[vhawk01]

No way I would stop existing. I'm making a lot of assumptions about this extremely vague hypothetical, but even if most people in the world are miserable COMPARED TO ME, they probably still enjoy their lives, and possibly enjoy it as much as I do. Happiness isn't entirely relative, but it is to some degree. I'd spin the wheel, without a doubt.

[ChrisV]

I dunno why the majority so far have picked stop existing. Spin the wheel and if you really hate your new life, kill yourself.

[Sephus]

[ QUOTE ]
I dunno why the majority so far have picked stop existing. Spin the wheel and if you really hate your new life, kill yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

are you going to somehow remember your old life, including being offered the choice? if not, you can only become someone else and then kill yourself if you randomly become someone who was already going to commit suicide.

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I dunno why the majority so far have picked stop existing. Spin the wheel and if you really hate your new life, kill yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

are you going to somehow remember your old life, including being offered the choice? if not, you can only become someone else and then kill yourself if you randomly become someone who was already going to commit suicide.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, not sure what the rules are, exactly, but this question seems to be asking "Are most people miserable?" rather than "Is the world miserable?" I think most people live in conditions that I, personally, as I am now, wouldn't much care for. But I think those people are probably happy most of the time. So, I'd rather be them than nothing. And I'm not particularly afraid of 'nothing.'

[Tablerat]

valenzuela,

I'm curious what made you think of this hypothetical scenario - I posted a similar one, but specific to reincarnation ( link (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=9274032&page=0&fpart=1&v c=1) ). In my poll, almost all chose reincarnation over the alternative per my wording. Your poll seems a little more divided so far. I don't think I'm stretching too far by comparing the two.

We likely have similar reasons for our posts, but could you elaborate on what made you think of this or why you said you would "stop existing without thinking twice"? I'm not a particularly worldly person, so I like to hear what others have to say on this issue and its implications. I guess the subtext to my post related to having children of my own.

[Metric]

How is this operationally defined, exactly? In fact, I'm going to claim that you did, just now, exchange lives with "Mbutoo" who lives in the Congo and has AIDS (something you can't disprove, of course). Would you recommend that Mbutoo (who used to be you, but of course has no memory of it) now kill himself since he got such a [censored] trade? BTW, congratulations on hitting the jackpot with your recent trade! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[gull]

I'm amazed at the number of people who voted stop existing.

Doesn't that vote imply that the voter thinks the lives of other people are so miserable it would be in their best interest to commit suicide? Am I misreading this? I agree with Metric - we need some definitions.

[Philo]

[ QUOTE ]
or randomly become any person in the world.



[/ QUOTE ]

I have no idea what this means, since it is impossible for me to be any other person than the one I am.

[Philo]

[ QUOTE ]
ok, I give up.
What's the difference between A and B?

luckyme

[/ QUOTE ]

A is impossible, B is inevitable.

[PLOlover]

funny I just had a thought like this the other day, I was thinking I have not such a good life, then I thought, would I change places with any of the last 3 or 4 people I've talked to, and I was like, ew no way, so I kinda realized maybe I was being too hard on myself or somethign.

[latefordinner]

Perhaps a discussion about John Rawls is useful here.....

[hmkpoker]

I'm going to cease existing eventually anyway. I'd like to see how the other half lives if I can. The second choice really gives you both options (not to mention, you can always choose to stop existing if you don't like what you get. You're freerolling.)

[Piers]

Poll is nonsense. I cannot be anyone else but me, or else I would not be me.

Perhaps you mean swap positions (financial, family, location? etc...) with a random person?

[valenzuela]

What I meant is that you BECOME the other person, and by becoming the other person it means that u dont get to kill urself( unless that person was already going to kill himself).
The reason for this poll, is that I was debating with a friend and I was defending the position that the world is miserable, I came up with the argument that the world is miserbale because if it was a happy place then one would choosee becoming another person instead of stop existing.
I then posted the question here, to see what did the ppl at SMP thought about it.
If you see my OP Im actually asking if the fact that we choose to stop existing implies that the world is miserable.

[soon2bepro]

[ QUOTE ]
ok, I give up.
What's the difference between A and B?

luckyme

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT

[mjkidd]

So you wouldn't have any memory of being another person? If so, there is no difference between A and B. Or is it like a Being John Malkovich where you're trapped in someone else's head?

Man, I hope that doesn't happen to me. That would suck big floppy donkey dick.

[J. Stew]

who the [censored] are you dicklick and why are you so cool.

[godBoy]

I choose life for sure, I too don't understand those who would choose to not exist.
I can only think that a lot of people who have answered to the contrary don't value life in an of itself - only the pleasure that they are currently able to experience.

Makes me a little sad /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
I choose life for sure, I too don't understand those who would choose to not exist.
I can only think that a lot of people who have answered to the contrary don't value life in an of itself - only the pleasure that they are currently able to experience.

Makes me a little sad /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm...aren't we kicking out this random persons soul? Or do we cohabitate? What are the rules on this kind of thing?

Makes me a little happy.

[godBoy]

[not-serious]
If I were kicking the soul of an atheist I would be saving them from eternal damnation.
[/not-serious]

I wasn't thinking about it that way /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]
What are the rules on this kind of thing?

[/ QUOTE ]
There aren'y any because it's impossible. Obviously I wouldn't choose to kick some persons soul into the abyss.

[Philo]

[ QUOTE ]
What I meant is that you BECOME the other person

[/ QUOTE ]

As has already been pointed out, no one can become another person. It is impossible.

[timoK]

as far as I seen the point is, if you would take the chance of live any other life with the mind, the wealth and the past of the other person.
so you dont now nothing about the "trade" lateron.

from my point of view I have a better life than 50% of the people left in the deck, so a Trade would be a clear fold.
but from an inside view most people are happy (because I sadly belief unhappyness comes with money and the fact that you can realize your situation). "mbutoo" might be happy because he just dont know that he has AIDS and he doesnt know that living in a hut without hot water is [censored] (from my point of view)

so if I trade and forget my past I will do it.

[Piers]

[ QUOTE ]
What I meant is that you BECOME the other person,

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem is that if you became the other person you would not be you any more. So logically there is no difference between stopping existing and becoming another person; neither to you, nor in the eyes of an observer.

So the two options in your poll are identical, consequently I am indifferent to the two choices.

[ QUOTE ]
If you see my OP Im actually asking if the fact that we choose to stop existing implies that the world is miserable.

[/ QUOTE ]

A person can be miserable, but I am not sure a world can be.