# Would you eliminate 1/3 of the world's population to save it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970 "2008-02-24T17:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/41 "2008-02-25T22:42:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Viridiana \*\* I’d say no. Not unless I got to choose them (I guess in an immeasurably long freeze-frame period), and base those decisions on full disclosure on the lives and inner workings of the person. This requires omniscience, so basically, I’d have to be God myself. Otherwise, they can get themselves out of their own mess. Nope, it is decided by random chance, guided by some extrapolating principles. Your chances of elimination boil down to your phycical location at the time of execution, nothing more. > [@](#): > > \*\*Blaster Master \*\* If he can provide some sort of prediction, he also ought to provide some much more concrete evidence than science can now, that we need to change our trends. IOW, I would tend to find the morally correct decision to be NOT to take those lives and instead request whatever information he can provide, and use that as a basis to try to start a movement to prevent whatever would end us, be it war, disease, natural disaster, or whatnot. This is an interesting response, and one that I have not heard before. Considering the being’s position of limited action, I never considered whether it would be willing to divulge that information. It is fair to assume that it would not be able to provide any sort of direct action to validate your claims though. How would you get the rest of us to listen? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/42 "2008-02-26T11:23:49Z")
[QUOTE=Acid Lamp] Nope, it is decided by random chance, guided by some extrapolating principles. Your chances of elimination boil down to your phycical location at the time of execution, nothing more. [/QUOTE] It doesn’t matter - the hypothetical is sufficiently goofy that the only entertainment value in it is suggesting the person being asked has some influence over the outcome, otherwise it’s as pointless as asking if someone would or would not pray for a hurricane to clobber a schoolhouse if it would spare a hospital. The hurricane is going to do what it wants, regardless. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/43 "2008-02-26T14:07:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] I’d tell him to go fuck himself, and murder a billion-something people on his own conscience instead of trying to put it on mine. [/QUOTE] QFT. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/44 "2008-02-26T20:20:15Z")
I wouldn’t off 1/3 of the world’s population to save humans (if we manage to extinct ourselves, we deserve it as a species), but I’d have to think long and hard if it was to preserve other species (even the non-cuddly, non-fuzzy ones). ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/45 "2008-02-26T20:53:32Z")
[QUOTE=Acid Lamp] This is a question I thought of years ago that I like to ask people. [/QUOTE] What kind of reaction do you usually get? If someone asked me this question in person I would probably respond, “That question is so ridiculous it’s not worth answering.” Has anyone ever told you that? ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970/46 "2008-02-26T21:30:31Z")
[QUOTE=Gus Gusterson] What kind of reaction do you usually get? If someone asked me this question in person I would probably respond, “That question is so ridiculous it’s not worth answering.” Has anyone ever told you that? [/QUOTE] Only here on the boards. Most of the time they say they need to think about for a bit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-eliminate-1-3-of-the-worlds-population-to-save-it/438970.md?page=2)