For the following, where necessary, use your own definitions and imagination. Which would you rather have?
Perfect love with your perfect soulmate that lasts the rest of your life.
An AI with financial precognition, that within a month, expertly makes and from then on, manages for you, 10 trillion dollars (constantly adjusting for outflows and inflation) and follows only your directives.
Lasting, effortless, suggestion-based mind control of anyone to everyone, within a range of 40 miles in diameter.
The ability to instantly teleport any thing or things, larger than a grain of sand, from anywhere to anywhere in the universe (including yourself). Note: not the Star Trek, copy-machine type of teleportation.
Telepathy on demand with any-to-all targets within a range of 40 miles in diameter. Modes are: listening only, converse, monologue, and megaphone monologue.
The ability to instantly and without much thought, rearrange atoms such that you can form non-complex objects. For example: gold bars yes, calculators no. Range is line of sight.
Raise all of your AD&D ability scores to 25 (with 9 being average and 18 being the normal human limit). For the lazy these are: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma and Comeliness.
Perfect peace of mind for the rest of your life.
Super good luck, all of the time.
An on-demand genie that will correctly answer any factual questions you have about the future or past.
The ability to stop and start time, such that you can walk around and interact with the time-frozen world.
To never need food or liquids again yet you stay healthy and feel no hunger or thirst.
To be able to eat or drink anything you want but keep a perfect BMI.
The ability to fall asleep instantly and wake up perfectly rested.
Perfect health until the day you die peacefully in old age.
Your own holodeck. Runs on a Mr. Fusion.
Your own time machine. Runs on a Mr. Fusion.
Superman’s invulnerability minus the kryptonite weakness.
Prodigious, prolific, virtuoso talent in the creative endeavor of your choosing.
Let’s stick to fictional works rather than extrapolating to any real life cases.
A common trope in fictional works is that one of the group of good guys is discovered to be a “traitor”. They do something that allows the bad guys an advantage, losing the lives of one or more of the good guys in the process. Later it’s discovered that the “traitor” was doing it because the bad guys had his/her daughter/wife/husband/son etc hostage and would kill them if the “traitor” didn’t comply. Later the hostage situation is made moot, either they’re killed off or rescued and the “traitor” goes back to being one of the team.
How do you generally feel about the “traitor” character?
Based on my own recent experience: I reserved a car for 1 day while my regular car was being serviced. I was told it was an EV, so I asked the rental place if it would come fully charged, and could I make it home (40 miles over a 2000 ft hill)? The answer was basically, “no guarantees how charged the car will be, but you can just charge it at a local fast charger!”
To rental place: “I don’t want an EV, please give me a gas/ICE car. I have no idea how to find a charger, and I don’t want to figure it out.”
A family in invited to the wedding of a cousin. The family has a son in high school who is on the sportsball team. The family replies verbally to the RSVP: “We will be there unless son’s team makes the sportsball playoffs”.
