# If you had God like powers, do you think you'd eventually quit caring about people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876 "2018-04-05T16:14:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/41 "2018-04-06T07:06:50Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > If I had godlike powers, I’d change the rules of the universe so that sentient creatures are incapable of suffering. After that I’d probably lose interest. I’m not going to say suffering is good, but the avoidance of suffering has historically been quite a significant driver for the advancement of science etc; maybe the development of intelligence itself - if you remove suffering, you either need to replace it with something else (maybe an innate, benign, strong sense of curiosity) or accept that those sentient creatures will typically stagnate. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/42 "2018-04-06T08:23:37Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m not going to say suffering is good, but the avoidance of suffering has historically been quite a significant driver for the advancement of science etc; maybe the development of intelligence itself - if you remove suffering, you either need to replace it with something else (maybe an innate, benign, strong sense of curiosity) or accept that those sentient creatures will typically stagnate. Not to mention that the definition of suffering is relative. For example, remove all risk, pain, fear and “suffering” from the world and you could be left with a sizeable amount of people who now find themselves completely and utterly bored. Bored to the point of insanity, are they not now suffering… As to the OP, I just think of any time I played a computer game with cheats and with god mode activated, generally its a fun diversion for a short while but gets old pretty quickly. Without any challenge I just get bored and move on to something else. God powers in real life would be like that, I’d just lose interest in all this boring, meaningless crap. Although I do think that the biggest reason I’d stop caring about people is not so much the god powers, but the immortality. Even with our short lifespans its easy to get cynical about the crap human beings get up to, I’d say after a few hundred years of seeing the same crap over and over that you wouldn’t think too much of your fellow man. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/43 "2018-04-06T09:13:42Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Pondering the psychological effects of suddenly being given God Like powers. > > I think, with the passage of time, it would be really difficult to have empathy for one’s fellow human beings. Because the more time passes by, the more reality would seem like a simulation. And how can one have any genuine feelings for a computer simulation? For this I turn to roleplaying games. From the Shadow World Atlas Addendum, p.48: > [@](#): > > Just who - or what - are the Lords of Orhan [the good gods]? … Clearly they are supernatural … But why are they here? Their motivations, while generally benign seem at times to be opaque to our understanding… > > One would be led to believe that they were no more sophisticated than humans or elves with supernatural powers. But ponder for a moment this idea: suppose you were given godlike abilities. You are immortal, unkilable, and all the creatures of the world are little more than toys or pets. No one has the power to control you or even influence you. You are a god. > > Perhaps for a while you behave admirably, allowing only your best nature to prevail. But the ages slip by and benevolence becomes dull. Why not tinker - just a little - with one or two races? Who will stop you? Who has the right to judge you? No one! You are a God! > > Soon the tinkering becomes more than harmless. So slowly you do not even notice it, your amusements become more perverse and twisted until you are a depraved creature with nothing left but a gnawing emptiness where your soul once lived. > > Peerhaps this explains the simplicity of the Lords: they do not think as we do, because to do so would mean their downfall. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/44 "2018-04-06T16:16:24Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m not going to say suffering is good, but the avoidance of suffering has historically been quite a significant driver for the advancement of science etc; maybe the development of intelligence itself - if you remove suffering, you either need to replace it with something else (maybe an innate, benign, strong sense of curiosity) or accept that those sentient creatures will typically stagnate. Yes positive and negative reinforcement has played a big role in our survival. But negative reinforcement doesn’t have to come in the form of pain and suffering. Maybe negative reinforcement could come in the form of intense fatigue or just a vague sense of unpleasantness rather than acute pain and suffering. If I had godlike powers I’d be as concerned about human life as I am about a random square centimeter of dirt in the land behind my house. However after I abolished suffering as a form of punishment I think I’d lose interest. ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/45 "2018-04-06T20:00:16Z")
Global Battle Royal…fight for my amusement, puny mortals! When I get bored of that, I’ll introduce monsters & superpowers ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/46 "2018-04-06T20:13:38Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Yes positive and negative reinforcement has played a big role in our survival. But negative reinforcement doesn’t have to come in the form of pain and suffering. Maybe negative reinforcement could come in the form of intense fatigue or just a vague sense of unpleasantness rather than acute pain and suffering. Sure, I think that’s what I was saying. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/47 "2018-04-06T20:14:09Z")
The problem with being omnipotent and omniscient is that, not only can you do anything instantly, you _already_ know the exact outcome of anything that you might decide to do. You are bored from the first microsecond you get your power, and absolutely _nothing_ can relieve that boredom. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/48 "2018-04-06T20:33:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The problem with being omnipotent and omniscient is that, not only can you do anything instantly, you _already_ know the exact outcome of anything that you might decide to do. You are bored from the first microsecond you get your power, and absolutely _nothing_ can relieve that boredom. Other than relieving yourself of the powers and wiping your memory of having had them, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/49 "2018-04-06T20:49:22Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Other than relieving yourself of the powers and wiping your memory of having had them, that is. I tried that, and I’m _still_ bored. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/50 "2018-04-06T20:50:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The problem with being omnipotent and omniscient is that, not only can you do anything instantly, you _already_ know the exact outcome of anything that you might decide to do. You are bored from the first microsecond you get your power, and absolutely _nothing_ can relieve that boredom. There’s a joke that goes something like: “God, why did you give people free will?” “I was bored.” ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876/51 "2018-04-06T21:05:26Z")
I really don’t think I would quit caring. I’ve always been fascinated by people, even when I can’t stand them any more, ha-ha. Seriously, people can be much more annoying/frustrating than animals, and, in that sense, I can almost understand those who prefer the company of animals. However, although I’m generally pragmatic and empirical (=not creationist), it doesn’t bother me at all when words like “divine” are used to describe the universe. The scope of the beauty and perfection that we perceive is far greater than anything human. The thing is, nothing would mean anything if there weren’t people there to appreciate it. Like the sound of a tree falling in a forest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-god-like-powers-do-you-think-youd-eventually-quit-caring-about-people/811876.md?page=2)