# Ethical Conundrums in Sci Fi **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101 "2023-05-15T23:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/83 "2023-05-17T21:46:53Z")
Another one from ST:TNG – “[I, Borg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Borg)”. Is it ethical to turn Hugh into a weapon to destroy the Borg collective? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/84 "2023-05-17T22:00:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But here’s the real nub. What if he is wrong, and Nuclear War is not inevitable? Yes, the ‘inevitability’ of a future disaster vs real present-day costs is a tough calculus. There was a ST:DS9 episode about that with the super normals. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/85 "2023-05-17T22:11:24Z")
I’ll have to dig it up for a re-read, and see if it’s as significant as it seemed when I read it 50 years ago, but James Blish “A Case of Conscience” springs to mind. [A Case of Conscience - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Case_of_Conscience) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/86 "2023-05-17T22:18:45Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Yes! this is the first ethical dilemma I thought off and I was hoping there’d be a story about it. I always thought teleportation HAD to work like a fax machine that destroys the original, it is the only thing that makes sense. It’s the only way that cars make sense, too. Why aren’t there any stories about a car that carries someone to their destination, but accidentally also leaves them behind at their starting point? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/87 "2023-05-18T01:53:15Z")
I didn’t see if someone’s else said this but the story of The Arrival is an interesting Sci Fi moral dilemma. Is it moral to bring into the world a child you know is doomed to die young? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/88 "2023-05-18T03:21:39Z")
To quote Death from _Sandman_: “Long or short, everyone gets a lifetime.” ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/89 "2023-05-18T08:32:18Z")
The choice on which faction to support in Fallout New Vegas. I think each of the factions other than the Legion has valid arguments for why they would be the best choice for controlling the Mojave. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/90 "2023-05-18T14:02:23Z")
There is an adventure kind of computer game called _Unavowed._ In the opening scene, you are asked to join a team of paranormal investigators (or some such). Except, it is a false choice: there is no dialogue option where you can refuse to join them, even though I was thinking, “I do not like these people and definitely do not want to accept their offer.” Kind of ruined the role-playing aspect of the game for me. Of course, the studio would have had to write essentially twice as much material to accommodate a different choice. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/91 "2023-05-18T14:11:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But here’s the real nub. What if he is wrong, and Nuclear War is not inevitable? And that’s why things like the Trolley Problem are kind of boring; they tell you right away what the costs of each choice are, and then you just decide which you want to pay. But in the real world, we’re usually stuck with probabilities. If we do X, 10 people _might_ die, if we do Y 1000 people _might_ suffer, but maybe not? This is one reason I really like the later episodes of Season 3 of The Expanse. The show deals with two factions, each trying to make a choice that will save (or doom) the entire human race. Their choices are mutually exclusive, there’s no room for compromise, and both sides are acting in what they really believe is the best interests of the human race, based on the knowledge they have at the time. As the audience, we know everything, and are Genre Savvy, so we know the Big Damn Heroes are “correct”, but in-Universe, there are good reasons to think the BDHs are about to kill the entire species. Having to make a choice, in the absence of complete certainly, is what real ethical questions are all about. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/92 "2023-05-18T14:25:43Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > There is an adventure kind of computer game called _Unavowed._ In the opening scene, you are asked to join a team of paranormal investigators (or some such). Except, it is a false choice: there is no dialogue option where you can refuse to join them, even though I was thinking, “I do not like these people and definitely do not want to accept their offer.” Kind of ruined the role-playing aspect of the game for me. Of course, the studio would have had to write essentially twice as much material to accommodate a different choice. Paper Mario does offer the option of not accepting the quest. Though the game just ends at that point! At the beginning of Paper Mario Mario and Luigi are sitting around, saying things are kind of boring. They go encounter the usual villain, Bowser, but Bowser is overcome by a superior villain and winds up teaming up with Mario, Luigi, and Peach. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/93 "2023-05-18T23:42:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The Cold Equations is probably the gold standard Over the years I’ve stumbled across a few stories and a movie that were clear responses to this story. Apologies for not remembering any titles or authors. One story had a woman pilot who was able to solve her dilemma by utilizing a small portion of the medical supplies to survive amputating her own legs. That sacrifice was enough to save the young stowaway. The movie reminds me of **running\_coach’s** reply, in that much of it focuses on corporate greed and shortsightedness, with protests and I think labor disputes and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/94 "2023-05-18T23:52:34Z")
This was my favorite episode ever of Babylon 5, and perhaps of any series ever. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/95 "2023-05-18T23:54:49Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Paper Mario does offer the option of not accepting the quest. Though the game just ends at that point! In one of the _Far Cry_ games, at the very beginning, you’re captured by a local warlord, who after questioning you briefly, leaves you alone in a hut. You are, of course, expected to escape, join the resistance, and overthrow him. But if you wait until he returns… he puts you in a truck to the airport, buys you a plane ticket back home, and the game ends. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/96 "2023-05-23T19:26:53Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > And that’s why things like the Trolley Problem are kind of boring; they tell you right away what the costs of each choice are, and then you just decide which you want to pay. Not to mention. Let us say it is not you job to do trolley switching. So if you let it go, no one will blame you. But if you pull that switch, blame- and lawsuits and maybe legal issues will follow. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/97 "2023-05-23T19:50:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not to mention. Let us say it is not you job to do trolley switching. So if you let it go, no one will blame you. I will. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/98 "2023-05-24T15:27:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Let us say it is not you job to do trolley switching. Hmmm… so you could scream at everyone to get out of the way, then just run away. And avoid watching the news for the rest of your life, so you’ll never know what happened. . > [@Miller](#): > > you’re captured by a local warlord, who after questioning you briefly, leaves you alone in a hut. You are, of course, expected to escape, join the resistance, and overthrow him. But if you wait until he returns… he puts you in a truck to the airport, buys you a plane ticket back home, and the game ends. **Win!** _And,_ you win all the time you would’ve spent overthrowing a warlord. Go get an ice cream cone, winner. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyEcks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnyecks/32/18197_2.png) [@JohnnyEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyEcks)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/99 "2025-05-12T20:56:15Z")
Resurrecting this thread because I just discovered that the short story “Why Don’t We Just Kill The Kid In The Omelas Hole” by Isabel Kim was nominated for a Hugo. > **[Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy](https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_02_24/)** > > Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast. This page: Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/100 "2025-05-12T21:49:40Z")
Considering that lovely kick in the pants at the end, I’d say it deserves one. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/101 "2025-05-12T21:53:55Z")
I enjoyed that, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101/102 "2025-05-12T21:56:08Z")
“Genesis of the Daleks” from _Doctor Who_ addresses this directly. The Doctor has to decide whether to destroy the Daleks at their very beginning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-conundrums-in-sci-fi/984101.md?page=6)