An interesting philosophical/ethical question

[John D Harris]

Bring it ON! you little big eyed, grey, pencil-necked pukes I here alien tastes like chicken. My granny taught me how to ring a chicken's neck with one snatch.

[Animal]

Who you calling a pencil necked puke, boy? j/k. You need to ask yourself one question right now: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

[Melusine]

Originally posted by Donut: I've got another hypothetical question for you. Suppose Hitler had give the same option in the 1930's to the Jews. Should they accept it? Or should they fight? Hitler would have accepted sterilisation of the Jews. Should the Jews have just given up? "It is better to die on your feet than to live a lifetime on your knees"

Yes, but Hitler was HUMAN (I use that term in the worst possible sense of the word). These are ALIENS we're discussing. I'm a bit amused at all the bravoure going on here... I hope it's just in jest. I never said I would be HAPPY about the other option. I just think it's a whole lot smarter than jumping into a fight headfirst without even knowing what we're up against. Hell, they could have the technology to make us all die in indescribable agony, with no way to even be able to "fight" them. So I'm arrogantly going to say that the other option is smarter. It buys us TIME. Deathkiller is absolutely right - we could find other means of reproduction, we could outwardly seem to give in, while secretly operating an underground resistance. We'll have about 80 years (that's about the time it'll take for the youngest people alive nowadays to grow too old to be able to do something) to figure out a way to defeat the aliens. PLUS we'll still be able to spend some time together with those we love, instead of going to war tomorrow. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[K T Ong]

I'm sure it is just in jest.

About the Hitler scenario, I actually perversely imagined that, if I were a Jew, I would have chosen the sterilization option, because at death my fellow Jews and I would all finally leave this earth en masse and return to the Kingdom of God. Just my crazy imagination...

[caleb]

If we let them get a stronghold on the planet it would be even harder to defeat them. Better to hit em with all we have while their not organized...oh and I hope all this cowardice is in jest [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Neb]

Hey, if they gave us that choice it might be a test, actually. Perhaps to see if we were too war-loving to be allowed to survive. Or if we were too cowardly to be allowed to survive, maybe a test to see if we had any guts and were worthy of sharing their immense knowledge and technology. Or if we were peaceful enough that we wouldn't use it to do any harm.

[K T Ong]

Originally posted by Neb: Hey, if they gave us that choice it might be a test, actually. Perhaps to see if we were too war-loving to be allowed to survive. Or if we were too cowardly to be allowed to survive, maybe a test to see if we had any guts and were worthy of sharing their immense knowledge and technology. Or if we were peaceful enough that we wouldn't use it to do any harm.

You never know. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Silver Cheetah]

Originally posted by K T Ong: [QB] And a lot of us certainly are leading positively miserable lives too, as witness the Third World.QB]

Hmm. Just because someone lives in the third world, it doesn't follow ipso facto that their life is miserable. In some areas, yes. For lots of reasons. But there are some pretty unhappy human beings in the first world too. Maybe you could start by taking a poll amongst those who work in call centres. Or fast food joints. Just a thought.

Can't remember which third world country it was now, but I saw in the newspaper the other day that television had come to a little known island in the south pacific. In the space of a couple of years, women who'd been perfectly happy with their body shape and size started getting eating disorders, and feeling bad about the way they looked. Anyone relate?

[Xero279]

Originally posted by Melusine: Duh, I don't think that a race so far superor to us would even fight wars in ways we can imagine, let alone that we could dream to fight them

A race far superor to us would have peace [img]smile.gif[/img]

[K T Ong]

Originally posted by Silver Cheetah: Hmm. Just because someone lives in the third world, it doesn't follow ipso facto that their life is miserable. In some areas, yes. For lots of reasons. But there are some pretty unhappy human beings in the first world too.

Fully agree. I just mentioned the Third World as an example. And I'm fully prepared to admit that it is perfectly possible to live in the Third World and live happily, as in the example you gave of the South Pacific Islander before being subject to modern influences. As for the First World -- oh, yes, I'm very sure a lot of people are leading miserable lives, too -- though perhaps a different kind of misery.

[ 06-29-2002, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]