I was thinking about something like this today. What if you just would learn something general like: You will die of an accident when you are an old woman. or You will die of natural causes in middle age.
I think I would want to know.
March 13th, 2006, eaten alive by a sociopath you picked up hitchhiking about 10 miles from your house.
Sorry.
Aren’t you a squidmanthingy, not a giant squid?
“Knowing the time of your death is one of those strange bonuses that comes with being a true magic user. And, on the whole, it is a bonus. Many a wizard has passed away happily drinking the last of his wine cellar and incidentally owing very large sums of money.”
–Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
I just heard a voice that told me that I would die by an imploding universe when transitionality causes a rip in the fabric of space-time in an attempt to avoid a predestined death. Now I’m depressed. Thanks.
Who do you think controls the giant squids? 
a crippled man or a coma patient isn’t exactly dead either.
looking at ‘groundhog day’, i’ve always wondered if i’ll jump in front of a train even if i knew for sure i’ll wake up unscathed…
I’d definitely want to know. It would make a huge difference to my life. I’d plan it out to die with the maximum amount of debt possible and having done everything I want to do.
As I would most likely be in a fairly bad mood they day before I die, people who piss me off should also stay well out of my way.
I dont think it would be a very good idea to know. Human society functions on the premise that people will be responsible for their actions. By knowing your time/place of death you effectively have immunity from all reprecussions of your actions. Fun for the individual, would be hell to live in a world where everyone was like that.
So for the greater good [aint the moral high ground swell =)] I wouldnt want to know.
How does foreknowledge of your death grant you immunity from the consequences of your actions? How does it lessen responsibility? If I know I’ll die in ten years time and decide to rob a bank today, I’m still liable to arrest and punishment. If I pull a gun on the police because I think I’m immortal and get shot in return, I might not die, but I could certainly spend the rest of those ten years in a wheelchair or as a vegetable or in prison, or all three.
I think that if people are faced with their deaths as an incontrovertible and unavoidable fact, it will actually lead many of us to lead better lives in the time we have left and therefore lead to better lives for all.
Yes, but if your predestined death requires that you be fully able in order to participate in the predestined scenario (walk in front of an oncoming car, receive a fatal blow in a fight, die of exhaustion in a marathon, etc.) then you must necessarily remain fully able up until the point of your death. Hence you can’t get hurt regardless of what you do – you’re not predestined to get hurt! You can do the riskiest things you want and nothing can happen to you!
As I said, this whole thing is very stupid.
It wouldn’t make much difference to me either way. It certainly wouldn’t change the way I live. I would, however, take my last two weeks off from work.
I would not want to know. I would be completely depressed and filled with a “why bother” feeling until my time arrived.
Yes. For pretty much the reasons rjung quoted.
Plus it’s always nice to be able to plan for things. Unexpected events are just so…unexpected.
That would be Krull. I’m so embarassed that I actually know that.
I’d want to know. And, about a week before, I’d max out my credit cards. If I die and still owe Visa about $7000, I win.
The question is unanswerable. If the time and circumstances of my death were predestined, it would imply that my life was predestined as well. Therefore, my opinion on the matter would be irrelevant. I’d just be a soulless puppet of fate.
But what if you found out that the way you are going to die is when the Universe imploded?
I might be incleined to agree with the OP that knowing the exact time and nature of your death might be advantageous
My real problem is that I might find out that I will die when I hit the “submit Reply” Button…
I’m Still ALIVE!!! Yeeehaaaahhh!!! and the Universe didnt implode!! ALRIGHT! now I can …
waitaminit… DOH!!!