# Entities formed with the sole or primary purpose of bringing about their own demise/destruction
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 23, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676 "2012-02-23T00:29:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/1 "2012-02-23T00:29:20Z")
I was thinking about the delicious futility of [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fXN7x7a5So) object the other day (a machine that is designed to unplug its own power supply), and another device I saw a while back consisting of a box with a switch on it which, when flicked, a lever would emerge from a flap and turn the switch off again.
Then I got to thinking about cases where, say, a steel works is closing and a few employees set up their own company to manage the closure, demolish and salvage the buildings, plant, etc, after which the company winds itself up.
I think the concept of an entity whose primary purpose is to knowingly bring about its own end is quite fascinating - in a melancholy sort of way. What other examples of this phenomenon can you think of?
I’m not really talking about humans committing suicide, so it would be good if we don’t have to dwell entirely on that.
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/2 "2012-02-23T00:34:09Z")
I know of several instances where a test automation harness was written by the QA department, then deployed in production to replace the QA department.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/3 "2012-02-23T00:41:06Z")
The last Legislative Council of New Zealand (the then-upper house of the Parliament) was packed with a “suicide squad” appointed to abolish the house.
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/4 "2012-02-23T01:27:28Z")
Most charitable organizations are examples, aren’t they? I mean inasmuch as their goals are attainable, then attaining the goals would take away the purpose of the charity. If people stop driving drunk, then no more MADD. If we cure cancer, then no more American Cancer Society.
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### Author:  [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/5 "2012-02-23T01:33:06Z")
The L5 Society. Its stated mission is to dissolve itself at the first meeting held at either the L4 or L5 Lagrange points:
> **[L5 Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L5_Society)**
>
> The L5 Society was founded in 1975 by Carolyn Meinel and Keith Henson to promote the space colony ideas of Gerard K. O'Neill.
> In 1987, the L5 Society merged with the National Space Institute to form the National Space Society.
> The name comes from the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points in the Earth–Moon system proposed as locations for the huge rotating space habitats that O'Neill envisioned. L4 and L5 are points of stable gravitational equilibrium located along the path of the Moon's orbit, 60 degrees...
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### Author:  [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/6 "2012-02-23T01:36:40Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#):
>
> Most charitable organizations are examples, aren’t they? I mean inasmuch as their goals are attainable, then attaining the goals would take away the purpose of the charity. If people stop driving drunk, then no more MADD. If we cure cancer, then no more American Cancer Society.
Some organizations just change their goals, though. The March of Dimes would be a classic example. Originally, they were meant to stamp out polio. With this done, they switched to premature birth.
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/7 "2012-02-23T01:48:46Z")
There’s the [United Nations Trusteeship Council](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Trusteeship_Council); somewhat along the same lines, a successful [peacekeeping mission](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_peacekeeping_missions) will presumably end with the end of the organization itself.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/8 "2012-02-23T01:50:45Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#):
>
> Some organizations just change their goals, though. The March of Dimes would be a classic example. Originally, they were meant to stamp out polio. With this done, they switched to premature birth.
With stops at treating and preventing birth defects and SIDS in between. I’ve always admired March of Dimes for just this flexibility and willingness to accept reality. It’s wonderful that they are honest enough to admit when they’ve done all they can, and it’s time to pick a new cause.
Seems a harder thing to do if your very name is American [Disease] Society.
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### Author:  [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/9 "2012-02-23T02:34:54Z")
[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=KxaWvJ-ziXA) is the machine that turns itself off. The inventor made [another machine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtIx5F3516c&feature=related) with similar goals that I found quite amusing as well.
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### Author:  [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/10 "2012-02-23T03:09:03Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#):
>
> If people stop driving drunk, then no more MADD.
If only. MADD is a neo-temperance movement, so much so that its founder quit the organization in 1985 over disagreement with policy direction.
Personally, I’ve encountered MADD lobbying against the licensing of farm wineries and craft distilleries in my state. Neither of these have a thing to do with drunk driving, except the overarching bugaboo of alcohol.
It may as well call itself the New Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, except that the WCTU still exists.
[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/11 "2012-02-23T03:24:39Z")
Pretty much all bombs.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/12 "2012-02-23T04:48:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> Pretty much all bombs.
A bomb’s _primary_ purpose is rarely to destroy itself. That is just incidental to the actual primary purpose of destroying other things.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/13 "2012-02-23T07:28:46Z")
I did wonder if I should mention bombs - but yeah, their purpose us to destroy other things.
Fireworks might qualify.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/14 "2012-02-23T07:31:53Z")
The regional party to which I belong has as its primary purpose a change in the Spanish Constitution. The party’s regs indicate that once that objective is achieved we’ll dissolve. Whether that means our people will spread around other parties with similar ideologies, or one or more new parties will pop up remains to be seen, of course, but I for one wouldn’t mind getting to see it.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/15 "2012-02-23T07:41:06Z")
Would a star qualify? I don’t mean like Whitney, but an astral body. Matter brought together to burn itself out.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/16 "2012-02-23T07:43:39Z")
I don’t think Gravity is that purposeful, **Isamu** , or that it gets cold hands. Make it smaller and we’ll accept bonfires.
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### Author:  [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/17 "2012-02-23T08:34:11Z")
I have a memory that one of the policy platforms of the[Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ripened_Warm_Tomato_Party) was to abolish the new ACT Legislative Assembly, to which it was seeking election. I can’t find proof of this on the internets though. It was a while ago. They were certainly formed with the intention of not taking the event very seriously.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/18 "2012-02-23T13:00:15Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> A bomb’s _primary_ purpose is rarely to destroy itself. That is just incidental to the actual primary purpose of destroying other things.
I have to disagree with this – the bomb’s purpose is to destroy itself _and_ other things.
A Bomb that destroyed other things, but _not_ itself would be an armorer’s dream. We have such automated devices now – things like unmanned drones. But people don’t call them _bombs_ – they’re given other names, specific to the task. If anyone built a non-self-destroying bomb, it would be called something else. otherwise it would be mistaken, in conversation or writing, with the self-destroying device. The word “bomb” pretty much implies self destruction. If a non-self-destroying “bomb” comes up, it gets called something else.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/19 "2012-02-23T13:49:02Z")
However, if a bomb destroys _ **only** _ itself, it’s probably not served its purpose.
It’s a borderline case, at best.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entities-formed-with-the-sole-or-primary-purpose-of-bringing-about-their-own-demise-destruction/613676/20 "2012-02-23T14:11:34Z")
Likewise, a bonfire is built to create light and heat or to appease some gods or purify your cattle or signal your neighbors or have something to play drums and pass the mead around.
A bonfire with no purpose other than burning is just an accidental fire.
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