Here’s the scenario - you’re the world’s most handsome supergenius (still with me?), and have invented the Armageddon-o-tron 4000 which will detect the nature of timing of any existential threat to Earth.
It’s detected that the sun is going to go supernova thanks to…let’s say quantum. The entire solar system will be destroyed. Fortunately you’re best mates with the POTUS and all the country’s news moguls who will accept your word, so you can warn the world. Question is this - what’s the minimum amount of time for armaggedon to strike before you’d tell the world?
Inspired by the speed of light meaning if the sun blew up now we wouldn’t know for another 8 minutes and 20 seconds. Then I thought…would you want people to know? But then if it was in a billion years, nobody would give a rat’s ass.
Poll incoming with the timing of the sun blowing up; what’s the minimal time of impending apocalypse that you’d need to justify telling humanity?
Never, what would be the point? We couldn’t stop it and the masses would use it as an excuse to make the time we did have worse. And knowing would do no good for the people who wouldn’t go all Clockwork Orange.
So many folks have talked about how they want their own individual deaths to be a surprise; no lingering awareness of gathering doom for them.
And so often we’ve talked about how society will cave in when faced with inevitable existential threats, even slow-growing non-violent ones such as total human sterility.
I have the power to wreak havoc on billions of lives by telling and the power to have everybody simply wink out with at most a few milliseconds of dawning awareness by not telling.
My reputation here may be as a soulless beast, but I’m not that big a soulless beast.
The other half is that everyone should have the opportunity to be with their loved ones when the final curtain falls. Bring the troops home. Free plane, train, and bus travel for everyone who needs it.
How far in the future does it have to be for people to give a rat’s ass?
A few million years? Dunno. Probably not. A few thousand years? That sounds close enough that we should get our best men working on the evacuation plans.
First reason is so that we can make sure science understands “quantum.” If I’ve learned something about the lifecycle of stars, dark energy or what-not, mankind deserves to know even if we’re all doomed. Heck, maybe this brings about a scientific discovery that allow us to avert catastrophe.
Second reason is just because I generally believe in disclosure. I know that disclosure may bring about riots and pillaging, but people deserve to know. If we decide to act like animals before it happens, then we deserve all of it.
I’d tell everyone and give them enough time to tie up their affairs, deliver babies, get that motorbike they’ve been promising themselves, and generally live a little. But, before that I’d make sure the governments of the world know so they can suitably prepare. I hope as the world’s most handsome supergenius they wouldn’t choose to prepare by silencing me and not going public :eek: