Thinking about this while walking home from work today.
If there was one power that could exist, it would be very cool if it was the power to to say something to someone and have them believe it. Not like a hypnosis subject believes a hypnotist, but genuine belief like a powerful epiphany. The power can only work for things that are actually true though. An application of this power would be, in the presence of someone planning to or about to commit a suicide bombing. You would say “There is no heaven for you after you do this. You will cease to be aware. Your consciousness will stop today, and so will these people here with us.” They believe it. It comes as a massive shock to them. They realize they were about to cut short their own life and the lives of many others based on a mistaken belief. At first they feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, but soon they feel relief that they found out the truth in time.
There you have it. That’s what I thought while I was walking home. I articulated it better than that in my head but isn’t it always the case that it looks worse when you get it out there?
'Twould be a wondrous thing indeed to supernaturally implant the Truth into the minds of other people, especially on a worldwide scale.
The implications of such a thing are interesting. I mean, religion would be eliminated altogether in the OP’s scenario, as would politics (though I suppose we would still need a group of bureaucrats to create laws as needed, since knowing the truth wouldn’t prevent crime).
Oh-oh, highjack time. I think that if you were absolutely sure that there was no afterlife, suicide would be utterly, irresistably tempting. To be sure of no more pain and suffering? Very desireable. The nagging doubt that that there is an afterlife, and that suicide would be punished, at worst, or something like flunking a grade in school and the same obstacles presented in a next life, is a powerful argument against suicide.
But yeah, the power to perceive “truth” would stonker just about all of us, and the power to transmit it would stonker everyone else. Neither one would be what you anticipated.
Christ, no. Anyone with this power would essentially possess the Total Perspective Vortex. Also, you’d be able to find out the truth in any given situation by trying to convince two different people of two completely opposite things. Humanity wouldn’t last another generation.
I think, almost by definition, a person who could do this would be some form of God, or working closely with a God. Because it’s not only about having the power to impose belief, it’s about having ALL knowledge of what the truth is.
Therefor, your example pretty much falls apart. If there has to be an all-knowing, incredibly powerful being to have and operate this power, maybe there IS an afterlife with punishment and rewards, lakes of fire, pearly gates, etc.
What if you convince both of them? One via the power, one via your own natural persuasiveness? Why would you be able to tell which is which? For that matter, can you be sure they’re not lying to you about being convinced or unconvinced? Just because you believe something doesn’t mean you’re prepared to admit it–ask a politician. (Or not.)
It only applies to things that are actually true (The person or persons in possession of the power would not be able to implant the belief in unicorns into someone)
The person or persons in possession of the power can choose not to use it (They may decide there are situations in which making someone believe one or more particular facts absolutely is not helpful to them or society)
The power is not possessed by everyone. Only one or a few people.
It doesn’t matter - the power itself only works if the thing being told is a truth. If the person posessing the power tries to convince someone that unicorns exist then the power isn’t at work, only the person’s own natural persuasive abilities.
But as it’s my fictional power I will excercise a bit of creative licence and say that anyone posessing the power would only believe in truths.
“Well, she’s dead; could’ve been an accident, might have been murder.”
“Oh, it wasn’t murder.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Okay, it was murder.”
“I BELIEVE YOU.”
“The killer was under thirty.”
“How can you tell?”
“Okay, over thirty.”
“I BELIEVE YOU.”
“The culprit’s last name starts with a vowel.”
“I BELIEVE YOU.”
They’ll wrap up most investigations in the time it takes to play Twenty Questions.
I was thinking about how you’d be able to use this power to determine whether events are pre-determined or not then being able to tell the future if they were.
But then I was thinking about using this power for evil. Being constrained by the truth shouldn’t be too big an obstacle. For example, you would have qualifications that make you a great consultant for anybody interested in security (banks, government agencies, etc.). Because it’s true, once you tell them that they’ll believe you. Even though you’re planning to rob the bank or start a coup, by relying on your ability and not revealing it you could convince people of true things that advance your position.
You use the tool for the stock market. You take some stocks, and try to convince a rich guy that each stock will go up tomorrow. Since by definition of the OP, it only works for things that are true, if you succeed in convincing your subject that certain stocks will go up tomorrow, they WILL go up, and you can go out and buy a bunch.
But why bother robbing a bank, when you can earn a ton of money legitimately?
“So that CAPTAIN AMERICA movie, it pulled in more than double its budget; THOR, almost triple; IRON MAN, quadruple; THE AVENGERS, it’s like seven times over!”
“What’s your point?”
“I’ve got a hundred million to invest; why not a superhero movie that grosses at least half-a-billion? I’ve got a director lined up, a leading man signed…”
“Hmm. So which scripts are you considering?”
“This one, for MISTER TERRIFIC.”
“It’ll gross more than half-a-billion.”
“Are you sure?”
“Nah, skip it. What else you got?”
“CAPTAIN TRIUMPH.”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“No.”
“DOCTOR OCCULT.”
“It’ll earn five hundred million at the box office.”
“I believe you.”
What price would that consultant’s advice be worth? (Hint: that’s the price you can convince him it’s worth.)