what would you do with cosmic power?

[Count D20]

What would you do if given the power equal to characters like phoenix (http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2008-02-13) or the doctor(wildstorm universe) ?
You can do anything, and it would be damn hard for anyone to stop you .
The limits are your own imagination and morality.
I personally would give everyone's sexual orientation a 180 degree flip for a day.
Be funny as hell. :tongue:

[Hzurr]

Don't forget, with cosmic power comes cosmic responsibility.

:smallwink:

[Xuincherguixe]

Right, the responsibility to cause chaos!

[Blayze]

The ability to do whatever I want, because only my mind could possibly get in the way? Oh, the possibilities... To be honest, the first thing I'd do would be to say to myself "I want to know everything, and be able to handle knowing everything."

Being able to do anything, I'd be able to grant my own wish for me. That way, I'd know how to do anything and everything to perfection, I'd know everything there is to know and will ever be to know about everything, and I'd be able to live forever ("Body, stop growing old." "Yes sir, Mr Blayze, sir.").

[Kaelaroth]

1. Punish all my enemies in the most horrific, painful, excrutiating ways. Then reverse time, but leave them with the memories of being tortured.
2. Fix up some of the Earth's problems.
3. Massively increase my own strength, reflexes, and physical durability. Then, go looking for a fight.
4. Randomly experiment with different super-powers.
5. Transmute myself into Marvel, and have some fun.
6. Build a palace, reminiscent, but not identical, to Dr. Manhattan's palace on Mars. That is my winter home. My summer home can be a multi-coloured pre-crisis Fortress of Solitude under Greenland.
7. Make people fall in love with me.
8. Have one day, which will later be undone, where I can kill whoever the hell I want. :smallamused:
9. and SO much more.....

[Finn Solomon]

Find Cthulu and eat him.

[UglyPanda]

Make myself the best cheesesteak ever created. Then I'd leave the planet and try to find one where I can relax. I mean, what's the point of power if everyone's always bugging you for stuff?

[Dalenthas]

Quit my day job.

[kirbsys]

Make all racists the color that they are racist against for one day.
Make all anti-gays gay for a day.
Make all antisemitics suddenly get an urge to become jewish.
Cause world peace.
Have all guns burned.
Then open a rift to a plane with tons of orcs.
Chill out on a tropical island.
Have zombies take over and try to survive without using my cosmic powers.
Wow there are tons of things to do...

[W Herzog Zwei]

Free beer.

[Jerthanis]

I'd teleport to another galaxy and make a rock so heavy that I can't lift it. After doing that, I'd feel the necessary humility required to not go crazy. That no matter what, there are limits, and no matter what, the X-Men could still take me. Then I'd become an artist, using my powers to create impossibly complex crystal prisms, bronze statues, and awesome looking chairs out of random raw materials.

I'd do this because creating money from nowhere would unbalance the economy slowly, and so would creating solid gold bars. Of course, I could probably will the problem to be fixed with omnipotence anyway.

Then I'd go back in time and fight in a variety of ancient wars, just to see what they were like. I would take the pottery and weapons of the ancients and bury them in a way that they'd one day be discovered by modern archaeologists, so the present would gain greater understanding of its past.

Then I'd construct a working lightsaber.

[The Rose Dragon]

I'd remove free will forever. Free will has brought humanity only suffering, and at least this way, they wouldn't be responsible for the evil they cause (I, on the other hand, would be).

I'd also make myself immortal, invincible and indestructible.

[Satyrquaze]

I'd go to Dinsey World.

[GoC]

Give everyone full EM spectrum vision, hearing on all frequencies and watch the ensuing chaos!
Then I'd give everyone the ability to time travel and watch the universe collapse.
I'd then rebuilt it and let everything carry on normaly.

[Leewei]

In light of some of the responses I'm seeing here, I'd commit a lot of attention to making sure nobody else ever got the power cosmic. Or heck, maybe give it to everyone.

[JabberwockySupafly]

I would send my archrival(s) to an alternate dimension where any form of greeting is considered the most offensive and hostile action you can possibly take and is usually met with immediate,violent, and oft-times lethal retaliation. Then I'd watch through some form of mirror or portal as he/she/it/they meet a excruciating violent end and giggle maniacally, possibly whilst petting some form of lap animal simply for dramatic effect. I would also be sipping on a well-aged scotch, neat, no ice. Why? Because I like a well-aged scotch neat with no ice. :D

I would also make this movie (http://xkcd.com/311/) real. Compared to what a lot of people would do with supreme power, I'd say my choices are relatively "small time", but I like it like that.

[Fay Graydon]

Don't forget, with cosmic power comes cosmic responsibility.

:smallwink:

And Itty-Bitty little living space.

if I had cosmic powers, I would do whatever I darn well feel like.:smallamused:

[HolderofSecrets]

It took me a few days but I finally came up with an idea. I would make science cease to work and replace it with a system of magic. Then sit back and watch the ensuing chaos. I give it 3 days before people start tossing fireball attacks around and several people start changing there appearence to look like Elves of some sort or another (What exactly is this Fetish with Pointy ears anyway?). I give it 3 months before people start a massing undead or construct armies. I am sure sooner or later I will have to step in to keep it all from falling apart but atleast it will be good for a few laughs.

[PlasticSoldier]

I'd contact every alien civilization in the galaxy & demand that they join my empire. Then I'd create a Berserker Army & annihilate everything that said no.
Once I'm done with that I'd revive all the dead & give them the chance to join my empire. Universal Domination 4ever.

[DarkEternal]

Reading all this, Heaven forbid if any single one of you ever got the Cosmic power :)

[Fay Graydon]

Reading all this, Heaven forbid if any single one of you ever got the Cosmic power :)

Don't worry, I wouldn't destroy the universe, I kinda like it here.
and I wouldn't take over it either, to lazy and don't like being responsible for things:smallwink:

[Shademan]

some bottles of brooze (soda! hah!) some bags of potatochips, a couple of good movies and games and some girls who is both hot AND seem to like the same movies and games as you!
ooooh-yeah!

[HolderofSecrets]

Reading all this, Heaven forbid if any single one of you ever got the Cosmic power :)

You should also be very glad none of us even has super powers. I am sure half these people here would become very destructive super heroes. The other half would try to take over the world. And speaking personally there has been times when I would just destroy everything if I had a choice.

[Koga]

Don't forget, with cosmic power comes cosmic responsibility.

:smallwink:
Screw the rules, I have the power cosmic!


I'd destroy the world. Cause The Koga does not like the people in it. :smallyuk:

[Sixscimitars]

Well, first I'd solve all the world's problems. After that, I could really have fun.
I think I'd try to keep up a normal career. Part-time, though, while on break, just for fun, I'd switch the gender of everyone on the planet for a day, create an unstoppable robot army and take over the galaxy with it, bring my favorite fictional characters to life and force them to maintain a lifestyle with me...
Wait, I think this could make a good show or something.

[PhallicWarrior]

First off, I'd try to bring about world peace, and if that doesn't work I'll just whip up a nuke that only hurts people who have committed or plan to commit a capital offense. Then I'd read people's minds to find out who doesn't like me, and if they have no good reason, get revenge on them. I would probably spend a lot of time just blasting holes in things and fix them. And then blowing them up again.

[Phantasm]

for an appropriate answer, think "what would jack o'neill do if he were ascended, and didn't have to play by their rules" and kinda go from there. being that i wouldnt actually need anything for myself, ever, id first go about making sure friends and families would never want for anything ever again, then seeing where i could help the world but make it seem like the whole damn thing was their idea in the first place before going out there to just explore.

[Koga]

Why?! Why did I burn those guns?! *Gets eaten by zombies*
I would declare myself God. Those who questioned my authority would cease to be. :smallannoyed:

And I wouldn't be one of them neo-religious lovey dovey, crap for gods neither. No, I'm talking the vengeful, bigoted, ultra-mean, norse gods.


Basically I'd be pretty much the same. Just a jerk... with cosmic power...

[Roderick_BR]

Don't worry, I wouldn't destroy the universe, I kinda like it here.
and I wouldn't take over it either, to lazy and don't like being responsible for things:smallwink:
Same here. I don't see what's so great about taking over the world, or causing chaos for a cheap laugh.

I would be incredible selfish, though. Fix a completely healthy, indestructible, and immortal body, for starters. No more dentists!
After that, as someone pointed out, earn as much knowledge as possible. Then use said knowledge to gain riches (I have the time to work out something), and maybe even start on politics. Heck, I could buy my own island. Just to quench that thirst for power.
Then I'd buy all the video games of the world. And all the movies. And cartoons and animes. Yeah, I'm that shallow.
And, because I'm male, would explore how sex would change with the possession of cosmic power. Try at least every fetish out there once. Except a few :smalltongue:

After that is done... dunno, maybe try to fix the world. I could just zap things, like making politics become honest, or just using my influence to move away the disonest, and keep the honest working.
From there, fix world peace, and as a follow up, end hunger and mysery through education.
Making things gradual, and through people will make the world feel like they are really doing it, instead of having an higher being baby sitting then.
I mean, just help humanity to evolve the tech enough, and keep the more "evil" people from trying to take over, and you can just relax and have fun.

[SITB]

First I would shell my fleshy body and ascend to a non-materiel existence. Because being locked in a 'mortal' body is for demi-gods and wannabes.

Then I will go back in time, find the nearest earthlike planet and make sure that Silicon based life forms evolve there instead of carbon based ones. Eventually, I'd manipulate both species (Humans and the silicon based ones) into war just to answer one question; which is superior, silicon or carbon based biology?

[Dorizzit]

Give myself super powers, and make the entire Westboro Baptist Church gay.

[rubakhin]

Steal all of Paris Hilton's money. Then I would buy myself a modest flat in St. Petersburg, set aside a few million to finance my first films, and donate the rest to AIDS research. Probably I'd also put a couple mil in the bank in case I decided later that I wanted a dacha someplace nice or a dedicated coke habit or whatever.

After that I would have everything I needed to be happy in life, but I guess I'd have to fight crime or something. Otherwise I'd feel guilty.

[Jerthanis]

Steal all of Paris Hilton's money. Then I would buy myself a modest flat in St. Petersburg, set aside a few million to finance my first films, and donate the rest to AIDS research. Probably I'd also put a couple mil in the bank in case I decided later that I wanted a dacha someplace nice or a dedicated coke habit or whatever.

After that I would have everything I needed to be happy in life, but I guess I'd have to fight crime or something. Otherwise I'd feel guilty.

But with the Power Cosmic you could simply eradicate AIDS yourself, you wouldn't need to have scientists discover the cure. Other than that, awesome list.

[Hectonkhyres]

After making damn sure I can't be killed by anything short of my own power, I would have some fun

Scientists would find Venus, Mars, and the moon miraculously terraformed overnight.... each with its own unique ecology. Same would be true wherever it looks like I can get life to grow.

I would seed the Earth with interesting things. The Pyramids and other such wonders would be brought back to their days of glory and a few new ones just showing up. The Rocky Mountains would have full-blown dragons nesting in its peaks, whales would be bulletproof and capable of eating Japanese whaling ships, and trees in the rainforest would respond to slash and burn agriculture by spreading like the plague. Things would be a bit more interesting... even if a few people in Colorado get eaten by dragons. Its a worthwhile trade.

Human biology would be changed so that we will inevitably regenerate from anything that does not kill us. If you want a description of what I mean, read Orson Scott Card's 'Treason'. Only without the mutants. We would also be capable of choosing not to conceive during sex. The ultimate in contraception. And we would stay moderately fit until old age, at which time we decline sharply and die without the soul-crushing onslaught of senility so many of us are currently doomed to.

I build a city-sized temple to myself in the heart of Antarctica the likes of which mortal man has not yet conceived of. That continent is mine and mine alone and all who with to land there must do so with my permission.

[Job]

Chaos? Simple,

Manifest the great wheel into existence, take a stroll through Sigil, evict the Lady of Pain for being so damn cocky, and then check out the conniption fit the folk over at the Wotc deities and planes board would have.

That’s all the chaos one universe needs.

[Dumbledore lives]

Well first of all, anyone who wishes for world peace would completely screw up the world economy, then you'd have to fix it with your unlimited power. I'd probably turn back time and edit a few events, then come back and see what it changed. Maybe change a few battles, smite some annoying people *cough* Paris Hilton *cough* and and stop a few wars but not all, then people would get bored. Probably retire somewhere and watch various peoples lives and have fun.

[Hectonkhyres]

Why would anyone want world peace? War is one of the very few things that can even momentarily pull society's collective head out of its collective ass. We need every distraction we can possibly get away from the bleak horror most of us put around in for X-number of decades.

[TheEmerged]

But with the Power Cosmic you could simply eradicate AIDS yourself, you wouldn't need to have scientists discover the cure. Other than that, awesome list.

True, but you're missing the side benefit of making Paris Hilton have to work for a living :smallbiggrin:

[rubakhin]

But with the Power Cosmic you could simply eradicate AIDS yourself, you wouldn't need to have scientists discover the cure. Other than that, awesome list.

*muse* I thought about that, but there would probably be something keeping the status quo enforced. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReedRichardsIsUseless)

(Great. TV Tropes has officially ruined my own imagination.)

If I really did have that much power ... well, I'd definitely want to cure my HIV+ friends, sure, but then I'd feel guilty and want to cure the rest of humanity, and then I'd feel guilty for not curing cancer and schizophrenia and all the rest of it, and then I'd feel guilty because God knows what kind of repercussions eradicating all of these things would have, and ... well, and I take this sort of question way too seriously for my own good. Probably I'd cure my friends, sit in my modest flat, and try to bite back the urge to screw around with the human race at large.

[ravenkith]

Given the power of a god, I'd start with some basic redesign on my own form...primarily enhancing my metabolism, enhancing my resistance to little things like disease, physical damage, and the effects of time. After I was satisfied with the changes, I'd lock them in place, so that they can only be altered by a conscious act of my own will.

Then I'd make some alterations on my loved ones, starting with my parents, my fiancee and my sister, so that anything untoward is unlikely to happen to them.

Then I'd start enforcing the rules much of the world has already chosen for themselves as shown on the following list:

1. All individuals truly guilty of child abuse (Injury with intent to harm, molestation) will be instantaneously teleported to the heart of the sun from now on. No appeals, no 'burden of proof'. I know what you did, and I don't like it = Extreme suntan.

2. All individuals who commit, conspire to commit, or have committed one or more murders successfully will be instantaneously transported to the heart of the sun from now on. The only exception to this rule is if you killed your victim as part of a mission you undertook as a member of your nation's armed forces.

Please note that with #2: This is simple justice, not murder, therefore I would not fall victim to my own rule, and in any case, I already made myself invulnerable.

3. All individuals who are guilty of causing permanent & irreparable physical harm to another on purpose will be instantaneously teleported into the heart of the sun. The only exception to this rule is if you harmed your victim as part of a mission you undertook as a member of your nation's armed forces.

Please note that with #3: It takes a lot of effort to purposely inflict damage that will not ever heal on someone, and it usually involves a weapon of some sort, so drunken brawls and playground fist fights would NOT be covered under this rule under normal circumstances.

4. All individuals who commit, or conspire to commit, a rape will be instantaneously teleported into the heart of the sun.

Please note that with #4: In my mind, if you provide the GHB for someone else to rape their victim, you are as culpable as the actual perp. Get ready for an extreme suntan. Also, if you hold down a person while they are being raped: extreme suntan. If you are standing idly by while someone is getting raped, no matter how disgusting and cowardly it is to do so, no suntan. But I'll be LOOKING for an excuse to take you out of the gene pool.

5. All industrial plants, worldwide, will be instantly converted to be as environmentally friendly as possible, regardless of the scale of the changes involved.

6. The UN just got some teeth: any resolution the UN passes in order to punish a nation will be considered, and, if found valid, will be enforced by my power.

So the next time the UN imposes sanctions on a nation for being overly belligerent, or for not treating it's citizens right, or against an individual for crimes against humanity - well, let's just say that you wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of that.

Why yes, I am a strong proponent of a one-world government.

China, I'm looking at you, bitch.

Don't think I'm soft on other forms of crime: please note that since the murderers, rapists and violent offenders have all now been teleported off the face of the planet, that ought to alleviate prison overcrowding, and allow for longer sentences with less chance for early parole. Furthermore, any terrorist actually involved in the commission or planning of a bombing or other attack that resulted in deaths will be covered by the murder rule.

Key additional changes:

1. No more disease. Cancer, AIDs, hepatitis, syphillis, alzheimer's.... Doesn't matter, it's gone. You will never suffer from disease again. Nor will anyone else.

2. No more aging. After you reach the peak physical age of 18, there will be no changes to your body from age.

3. Natural death at 100. You get 100 years on the planet as your natural lifespan, barring accident or adversity. Plan accordingly. On the night of your 100th birthday, you go to bed and die in your sleep without pain. You could theoretically extend your life a couple of days by not sleeping, but eventually you'll have to get some sleep. This isn't a bug, it's a feature - if you really need a couple more days to get your affairs in order, or if you want to see the birth of your latest grandchild and are going to miss it by a day or two, it's doable.

Please note this rule does not apply to me or mine. I know it's unfair, but I'm the one with the power, and I say we get to live forever, and you don't.

We can't just have everybody hanging around until the end of time - there's not enough room or food, for one thing.

4. Racial memory. Starting with puberty, and continuing on to the age of eighteen, children will start to 'remember' all of the things that their parent's learned and experienced in a previous lifetime, but only with regards to factual information. Emotions are not passed on, nor are personal beliefs, allowing future generations to make up their own minds about who they are, but giving them access to all of the information gleaned by those who came before.

This will, in theory, solve the education problem facing much of the world. Teach one person to read, and you've taught all of his descendants. Teach one person a trade, and his kids will know how to do it just as well as he does. Over time, everyone will be born with at least a rudimentary knowledge of everything.

I'd then 'upload' a basic knowledge of english to every brain on the planet, along with a basic understanding of physics, biology and chemistry, and a basic understanding of mathematics and geometry. Probably equivalent to a GED, I'd guess.

Completely impossible to achieve by any other means, but with the power of a god, it's doable.

As for why english...? Well, I know english very well, it's my primary language, and while I speak German, and agree it's probably a superior choice in terms of ease of use and grammar, I'm more comfortable with english...and I truly believe that all the world needs a common language to communicate in.

5. Breeding by choice: women can only become pregnant when they choose to, and only after the age of eighteen, and before the age of 82. The sex of the child, and the number conceived, will still be left to fate.

The reason for a lower age limit is to help prevent children too young to provide for themselves, let alone another living being, from having children in poverty. The upper age limit is to help prevent a mother from having a child and then passing on before the child has reached maturity, on the theory that any such happenstance would be entirely too cruel to allow based on a rule I created.

6. When anybody tells a lie, a temporary bruise in the shape of an L will appear on their forehead, lasting for one week before fading away. Makeup will not cover the bruise, no matter how much is put on. The shade of the bruise deepens, the more lies you tell, ranging from a light red to a deep black.

I do not like children lying to parents, or politicians lying to the people they should be held responsible by. A built in lie detector would help reduce the occurences of such things - and make the job of law enforcement much easier.

Just beware people wearing hats.

7. All land everywhere on the planet (barring the polar regions, mountainous areas, and barrier coastlines) will be instantly transformed into arable farmland.

For clarity: If something is built on top of the land, then that building will remain - but the ground underneath will now prove to be suitable for farming should the building ever be removed at some point in the future.

Furthermore, the weather will be regulated, and scheduled - everywhere is now, at worst, a temperate zone. (Jungle and rainforest areas will be given the correct weather to maintain their environments, Deserts and droughts would be a thing of the past, as would extreme blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes - a little snow is nice for a month or so in the winter: white christmas' for everyone!).

8. All possible vehicles will be converted to one of 4 electically powered designs based off of a modified tesla motor corp design (Truck/coupe/sedan/SUV). Only those vehicles in regions of the world without easy access to electricity, or those used to routinely drive more than 200 miles before being given an adequate opportunity to recharge will remain gasoline or diesel powered.

No, I don't care if you wanted a BMW. I don't care if the car you have now isn't something you like. It's free, it's more fuel efficient, and according to the documentation, far more environmentally friendly, especially when using solar power. Just shut up and drive your brand new, free, otherwise completely normal car.

9. All nuclear weapons and waste will be instantaneously deposited in the closest black hole, as will all hazardous chemical waste and biological weapons.

If it offends you - I apologise for temporarily disabling all of the world's big red buttons simultaneously - I just don't like the idea that some poor farmer in Iowa always has to worry that some irritated Arab is going to get hold of an unaccounted-for russian suitcase bomb and detonate in the state capital for some stupid reason or another.

Or, for that matter, some dumb potsmoker in the oval office deciding to make an object lesson of the 'horrible dictator of the week.'

10. All other non-dangerous pollutants will be telported to the heart of the sun. (Non-biodegradable trash for instance).

11. I'd turn the skin of every single person on earth one color (I'm leaning towards blue) and their hair red, probably for a one year duration, after which, everyone would go back to their same old color.

I like red hair, so sue me.

But more importantly, if we were all the same color, how would the racists tell us all apart?

An object lesson in a box - skin color doesn't matter - I'd repeat this as necessary until people learned that hating people based on the color of their skin - regardless of your own - is just plain stupid.

I'm 100% certain that there would be other changes I'd have to make, but the above combined list of 16 should make a very good start.

And no, I wouldn't come out and claim godhood. I wouldn't be god - just a man with the ability to affect the changes he deems needed and right. I also wouldn't want the kind of publicity and pressure that goes with such a position.

I'd really like to figure out some way to make the world a meritocracy, but that might not be feasible, as I don't want to take away other people's ability to make decisions for themselves...I just want the world to run the way it SHOULD.

[HolderofSecrets]

anything and everything you wrote

You fail at being a god entirely. You removed all choice. You removed all uniqueness. You gave yourself and your family benefits that you wouldn't give anyone else. Why shouldn't we all get the option to do what we want? Maybe I want to be green skinned with Silver hair and Piercing black eyes. What good is it if there is no difference between the rest of us? Racial Memory removes the difference in perspective between one generation and the next. After so long the Lack of Variation will cause all progress to cease and then life becomes stale and meaningless. Without problems and differences there will be no more changes.

I will say this Once. If you tyrant like you laid out you might as well be Hitler and that is no joke. All your good intentions just leads to you lording your powers over all people and rendering the world the single worst in all existence. Congrats that is a very hard thing to do. Honestly you also need to realize that problems need to be here otherwise the world will never learn nor change. While my plan might of been dangerous it at least allowed the world to save itself and left the choices in the hands of the people not some select group or myself alone.

[Count D20]

Give myself super powers, and make the entire Westboro Baptist Church gay.
rather redundant, you just have to remove their shame/guilt and perhaps temporarily the Christianity.
Ravenkith, you are scaring me.to warp the earth,to step on peoples minds, you have no idea of the consequences, which i can assure you would be dire.

I would try throwing around d&d style magic, with myself as mystra(deity of magic).except that Remove disease is 1st level and no miracle/wish.

Psychologically there are certain traumas that only a direct manipulation of the mind or reality could heal. for example the case in austria with the 24 year incest/kidnapping hidden children clusterf**k .I would be likely to use time travel to prevent this.
I know, time travel,paradox,stepping on a single butterfly; but could the changes really be any worse than what happened?

[Edan]

Do nothing. Just sit at home and zap bugs off my back porch.

[ravenkith]

You fail at being a god entirely. You removed all choice. You removed all uniqueness. You gave yourself and your family benefits that you wouldn't give anyone else. Why shouldn't we all get the option to do what we want? Maybe I want to be green skinned with Silver hair and Piercing black eyes. What good is it if there is no difference between the rest of us? Racial Memory removes the difference in perspective between one generation and the next. After so long the Lack of Variation will cause all progress to cease and then life becomes stale and meaningless. Without problems and differences there will be no more changes.

I will say this Once. If you tyrant like you laid out you might as well be Hitler and that is no joke. All your good intentions just leads to you lording your powers over all people and rendering the world the single worst in all existence. Congrats that is a very hard thing to do. Honestly you also need to realize that problems need to be here otherwise the world will never learn nor change. While my plan might of been dangerous it at least allowed the world to save itself and left the choices in the hands of the people not some select group or myself alone.

I disagree. Plus, by invoking Hitler in an internet argument, you automatically lose.

But seriously, take a step back, and reread my post again, putting your emotions to the side for a moment.

There are serious problems facing the human race, things that are going to come to a head in the next generation or two.

Overpopulation. Food shortages in third-world countries. Global epidemics. Untracked spacial debris. Any of these alone might be enough to wipe out the human race, but if they were all to occur within a short period of time, it would practically be a guaranteed fail for our species.

Personally, I like the human race. I think, essentially, while there are a few bad apples among us, on the whole, we're a race worth saving.

But there is something fundamentally broken with the way our world works. I don't like that we all begin our lives at different starting points. I'm not happy with how a person born in Ethopia basically has no chance to enjoy the quality of life that a person born in America does.

I don't like the fact that when our brightest minds die, we lose all that they learned, all that they knew.

I don't like that a kid in paraguay will probably never receive the same education as one in the UK.

I don't like how shortsighted we are, especially when it comes to poisoning our planet, and by extension, ourselves.

I don't like how under any kind of pressure, violence becomes our final answer. Might makes right is not the philosophy I believe we can take with us into the future.

I start, if you look closely, by simply enforcing the rules that most nations have already subscribed to. Keep in mind, that as an omnipotent being, I know whether you are guilty or not - there is no possibility of error.

Given an opportunity to make the world a better place by removing those beings in it that go around murdering, raping and molesting children - well, let's just say I never thought I'd see the day when someone would argue with those particular decisions.

Why do I give myself and my family benefits other's do not enjoy? Well, for one thing, by making myself functionally immortal and unkillable, I build in an automatic failsafe: if any of my admittedly radical solutions doesn't pan out, I'll be around to tinker with things in order to address any problems that might crop up.

I think such an existence, immortal, walking down the roads of time, would be horribly, terribly lonely...and without loved ones to ground you, any mortal could be driven insane.

And a madman with the power of a god is just simply not my idea of a fun time for anyone, least of all the madman.

As to your claims of stultification, I reject them. While disease, murder, rape and child abuse would no longer be a problem, there are a myriad of other difficulties facing the human race. Food will still need to be grown, harvested, shipped to stores. Markets will still need to sell items, people will still need to work to make money. Humanity will still have it's inherent curiosity, it's inherent inventiveness, and all things being equal, this will lead us to deeper exlorations of physics and chemistry, and perhaps out into space, a diaspora across the stars, in search of new worlds and other races....which, if they don't already exist, I'd probably make.

Furthermore, the idea of racial memory is a difficult one...but since I specified only that factual information will be passed on, every individual will still be an individual...and will have 13 formative years without the burden of genetic memory in order to form a personality, and an additional 5 years as the information slowly becomes assimilated.

While I freeze the human body with regard to aging and disease, you can still be killed by accidents or your own stupidty. You can lose a leg, have an aneurism, gain 500 lbs and die from a heart attack....whatever. Your life, your choice.

Individuals will still be individuals: according to psychology, the human personality is mostly formed in early life.

As to freedom of choice....I'm not taking choice away from the people. In fact, I'm planning on supporting the legitmate representative, if weak, world government and throwing my power behind it, instead of making the decisions for everyone.

I'm leaving lesser crimes, and the punishments associated with them, in the hands of the nation-states that litter the world.

I'm not telling people how to live their day to day lives...with the exception of trying to show them that hate based on skin color is pointless. My proposed solution is probably pointless, and won't work, but I wouldn't feel right if I did nothing at all. Also, it was always intended to be temporary. Variety is extremely important, and diverse cultures, in my mind, is one of our greatest strengths.

However, I believe in order for us to go forward as a species, we must have a common ground, a shared language. Please note that I did not include history, social sciences, or politics on the list of things everyone would receive - I believe all of those are things that you should learn from your own culture, as each culture has it's own viewpoint.

I only deal in facts and figures, things that don't change no matter what your perspective.

[HolderofSecrets]

I disagree. Plus, by invoking Hitler in an internet argument, you automatically lose.

Not always, he was just the closet tyrant to what you were going to do. If you really new more about the past and what humans have over come you might not of took such drastic Actions.


But seriously, take a step back, and reread my post again, putting your emotions to the side for a moment.

There are serious problems facing the human race, things that are going to come to a head in the next generation or two.

As you said, I plan to step back and go over every comment you make here. Be prepared.


Overpopulation. Food shortages in third-world countries. Global epidemics. Untracked spacial debris. Any of these alone might be enough to wipe out the human race, but if they were all to occur within a short period of time, it would practically be a guaranteed fail for our species.

Strangely Overpopulation is the basicly either the cause or is held in check by the problems you listed after it. With out a Global Epidemic in the near future there will be nothing to keep the population really from soaring even higher and bring the Earth to the Brink of Destruction. You planned to remove all disease and sickness and increase the human life span to a standard of a 100 years. You did nothing to control the population and did everything to support the current practices in the world with out actually adding and limits. What happens to everything else on the planet when Humans have nothing to keep their population in check. An uncontrolled Population Explosion would probably follow your changes to the human Existence which would push almost any animal into the brink of destruction, with the only exception being that you didn't turn the polar regions into fertile Farms land, so I guess Polar Bears and Penguins would survive.


Personally, I like the human race. I think, essentially, while there are a few bad apples among us, on the whole, we're a race worth saving.

I like the human race too, just a little because its just to full of stupid people or people with good ideas that don't consider the Cons of there actions.


But there is something fundamentally broken with the way our world works. I don't like that we all begin our lives at different starting points. I'm not happy with how a person born in Ethopia basically has no chance to enjoy the quality of life that a person born in America does.

The Chaos and Randomness of life itself is needed so people can approach problems. The funny thing is you never consider the Difference between 2 people from just Different parts of America are. People here start out in random qualities of life to but we have options and we take them and leave them as we choose.


I don't like the fact that when our brightest minds die, we lose all that they learned, all that they knew.

This is just a fact of life. Its probably why I think Racial Memory would be near but in the end would be kind of a waste simply because after around 10 to 20 Generations the major part of the population will know everything the rest of people know and effectively you end up with in time 6-10 billion copies of the same persons brain. Consider the effect of everything both of us every learned good or bad being in the same person then expand that to the point that any good or bad ever learned by anyone is automatically learned by those of the next generation. I have enough mental issue from what I have seen and learned throughout my life to drive a Person to drive another person who learned it all at once completly insane.


I don't like that a kid in paraguay will probably never receive the same education as one in the UK.

The world is already progressing pass the point and one day it won't matter. Trust me on this, you don't want to nor need to take any action on this issue at all for it to be fixed. Just give it time.


I don't like how shortsighted we are, especially when it comes to poisoning our planet, and by extension, ourselves.

I have to say I completely agree with you here.


I don't like how under any kind of pressure, violence becomes our final answer. Might makes right is not the philosophy I believe we can take with us into the future.

Strangely as time passes Humans have become a lot less violence focused and its only become the Focus of the News Orginizations that magnify to problems out of proportion to get ratings. Some times you can't even get into a fist fight anymore with out worrying about getting sued or going to jail.


I start, if you look closely, by simply enforcing the rules that most nations have already subscribed to. Keep in mind, that as an omnipotent being, I know whether you are guilty or not - there is no possibility of error.

People need to learn the effects of there laws with out an Omnipotent being butting in. Yet them learn from their mistakes or they will never learn at all.


Given an opportunity to make the world a better place by removing those beings in it that go around murdering, raping and molesting children - well, let's just say I never thought I'd see the day when someone would argue with those particular decisions.

I didn't say your plan wasn't wrong there either, its that I didn't want to nor did I have time to go over everyone of your notations an address each one seperate. Killing them means your murdering them and makes you no better then they are and yet you already had set yourself apart from your own punishments. Finding a Fitting punishment for the crime that an idividual commits should be the job of a persons peers and at the point you become an immortal god you are no longer the man's peer.


Why do I give myself and my family benefits other's do not enjoy? Well, for one thing, by making myself functionally immortal and unkillable, I build in an automatic failsafe: if any of my admittedly radical solutions doesn't pan out, I'll be around to tinker with things in order to address any problems that might crop up.

I think such an existence, immortal, walking down the roads of time, would be horribly, terribly lonely...and without loved ones to ground you, any mortal could be driven insane.

And a madman with the power of a god is just simply not my idea of a fun time for anyone, least of all the madman.

Well atleast you gave the effects of Immortality some thought. I have to say that impresses me. To many people assume that Immortality would have no drawbacks. You just need a set of Advisors that don't necessarily have the same point of view as you to make sure you don't go to far or maybe supply you with a different solution to possibly problems you have over looked.

I would Volunteer to be your Advisor and immortal and wouldn't even want my family to come along. At the moment though I think you really don't like me so you wouldn't take me up on that offer. Maybe that has changed but I don't know right now.


As to your claims of stultification, I reject them. While disease, murder, rape and child abuse would no longer be a problem, there are a myriad of other difficulties facing the human race. Food will still need to be grown, harvested, shipped to stores. Markets will still need to sell items, people will still need to work to make money. Humanity will still have it's inherent curiosity, it's inherent inventiveness, and all things being equal, this will lead us to deeper exlorations of physics and chemistry, and perhaps out into space, a diaspora across the stars, in search of new worlds and other races....which, if they don't already exist, I'd probably make.

Hopefully most of the reason you posted these comments have been address earlier in my post. If they haven't I only meant that you needed to rethink your plans. For the most part you seemed to act like you were trying to solve all of man kinds problems at once and only causing other problems and showing signs of not considering another persons thoughts on the matter.


Furthermore, the idea of racial memory is a difficult one...but since I specified only that factual information will be passed on, every individual will still be an individual...and will have 13 formative years without the burden of genetic memory in order to form a personality, and an additional 5 years as the information slowly becomes assimilated.

My first issue with this was because of a misread of what you wrote. I thought you had made it nearly instant and that would cause severe Mental issues. It still might as over the Generations the amount of information that could build up that even over the course of 5-7 years it would be to much for the mind to comprehend. Then there is the issue of what I call dark Knowledge. Dark knowledge is still Factual and covers many issues that people consider Taboo or Forbidden. Myself I know enough to unsettle the average person and only remain stable because of my mind set. Consider the effects of that. Trust me while the Information shouldn't be completely hidden or even forgotten it appearing in the minds of a teenager with the wrong mind set would be enough to unhinge their minds.


While I freeze the human body with regard to aging and disease, you can still be killed by accidents or your own stupidty. You can lose a leg, have an aneurism, gain 500 lbs and die from a heart attack....whatever. Your life, your choice.

Individuals will still be individuals: according to psychology, the human personality is mostly formed in early life.

Personally my experience is a persons true personality forms over their whole life. Consider the possiblity that a persons early life was different enough to generate a personality completely different and in conflict from your own.


As to freedom of choice....I'm not taking choice away from the people. In fact, I'm planning on supporting the legitmate representative, if weak, world government and throwing my power behind it, instead of making the decisions for everyone.

I'm leaving lesser crimes, and the punishments associated with them, in the hands of the nation-states that litter the world.

Putting your weight behind anything is enough to cause problems when you are an immortal. Oddly enough the statement was best said by a fictional character, "With great power comes great responiblity." My personal stance on the matter is that Immortals are wisest if they keep out of the affairs of mortals. My most important advice is if you ever got the potential to actually follow through on the plans you set forth earlier find a person or persons who conflict with you and another person to mediate the conflicts between you. And set both of them outside the effects of your changes and yet them have some say over what you change. Its a way to make sure you don't go to far at any point.


I'm not telling people how to live their day to day lives...with the exception of trying to show them that hate based on skin color is pointless. My proposed solution is probably pointless, and won't work, but I wouldn't feel right if I did nothing at all. Also, it was always intended to be temporary. Variety is extremely important, and diverse cultures, in my mind, is one of our greatest strengths.

Skin color isn't the only reason people are bigots. I get hate all the time simply because I appear to be White Man to the majority of the world and White Men did some really stupid stuff in the past. I like you to know I come from a rather Mixed heritage and know that skill color means nothing already. But I also get hate being Tall, Over wieght, strong, smart, a Prideful Jerk, my math skills, slow to my a choice plus my ethics and social stances. It doesn't help to make everyone the same color. Their still jerks. I have more then enough issues to be hated for besides skin color.

Skin color is more important to some people as well as it shows their Heritage. Once you remove it, you have striped a person of part of who they are. Please consider that before you change someone skin color.


However, I believe in order for us to go forward as a species, we must have a common ground, a shared language. Please note that I did not include history, social sciences, or politics on the list of things everyone would receive - I believe all of those are things that you should learn from your own culture, as each culture has it's own viewpoint.

I only deal in facts and figures, things that don't change no matter what your perspective.

I was mainly making my original statement on what you posted originally. I didn't consider even slightly what else you might of been thinking. As we both have explained are stances in more depth since then please consider the fact that maybe my stance wasn't so bad or unthought out and maybe we aren't so far apart.

I want the world to be a better place but I know it takes time which I don't have. The only thing I know about fixing the world you must consider the effects of what you decide and you should do everything you can to avoid making a problem worse. That is exactly the reason that even though I would change the world as a whole I wouldn't take any steps that interfer with the world or lives of those I am beyond unless I am really needed.

[R.O.A.]

Ultimate cosmic power? At last!

1. It may be rather unethical, but I rewire the human brain so that everyone becomes more inclined to work together, compromise, and act for the good of others. The aim of this is to eliminate problems ranging from corrupt governments to littering.

2. I create an elite force, able to use powers beyond that of an ordiary human, such as invisability. These are not really humans, but clone like beings, who's only drive in life is to do good and just actions, so thier brains are hardwired to give them happy hormones for this:smallsmile: With this squad at the my command (in the eyes of the world however, working for the UN), wars are virtually eliminated, as my squad can do eveything a war tries to achieve, but with far less casualties.

3. Poor areas of the world suddenly become hugely fertile and productive, solving most of the world's hunger. During the next century, many new things are invented in third world countries, by locals, causing a major burst in all the poorest peoples of the world. Many of these ideas will be oddly incomprehensible to anyone already rich, so they cannot make the products themselves, but will find it of great use to them.

4. Global warming grinds to a halt, and then the climate changes in a new way, giving us cooler deserts, white christmasses, and changing the sea levels, so Bangladesh no longer floods, overcrowded regions suddenly have more land as the sea nearby retreats etc.

5. A number of other small changes may occur. I liked someone's suggestion of bullet-proof whales :smallsmile: . Other things will be changed as I think of them.

6. I liked the idea of

I would seed the Earth with interesting things. The Pyramids and other such wonders would be brought back to their days of glory and a few new ones just showing up. The Rocky Mountains would have full-blown dragons nesting in its peaks, trees in the rainforest would respond to slash and burn agriculture by spreading like the plague. Things would be a bit more interesting... even if a few people in Colorado get eaten by dragons. Its a worthwhile trade.
(Uh, can't find who said that, sorry)

7. Finally, I would leave Earth, to avoid the temptation to keep fiddling and making things worse. I would jet out across the universe, seeding the solar systems with interesting aliens and inhabitable planets for future generations to enjoy:smallbiggrin:

[Hectonkhyres]

Above the possibility of creating some worldwide system of magic was brought up. While I might institute something along those lines, it most certainly wouldn't be the universe-wrecking godmode magic of D&D.

No. It would be intentionally weak with most people barely able to create a ward against mosquitoes. Old men and women might be able to do a bit more... though doing anything is going to give you one hell of a headache and don't even think about spamming magic. Anything greater has to be cumulative, tacking a bit more on every day until what you have is barely recognizable in its glory.

The result is that any child can do tiny, barely perceptible tricks... but anything truly noticeable requires generations of devotion and patience. I think this would ground people a little bit more and give us a sense of importance beyond ourselves. You wouldn't move out of your family dwelling lightly because you would be leaving behind what you and those before you invested in it. Nor would you part with family heirlooms.

Also, I might make one or two tricks easier for someone to do. Sometimes it would be genetically passed down, sometimes it would randomly pop up and not be passed on through the blood, sometimes someone might 'catch' the proficiency from contact with related magic. Someone might be able to innately sense that someone is standing on the other side of a closed door or hijack the brain of a pigeon without really even trying. Nothing flashy... but something that might give you an edge from time to time. Perhaps one in a hundred would have such a talent.

One in a million would have something better still... a talent that actually starts to kick ass. And even these bastards would be easily taken out by a couple of goons with guns. No X-Men moments here. However you might be a bit scary if you had the right talents and a revolver from the 1850s that has been in continuous use by your family.

Other, more potent, magics might exist but would not be easy to control. The site of some massive atrocity, such as a German concentration camp or Hiroshima, might spontaneously generate freaky little demon things for a couple of hundred years or whatnot.

[GoC]

Thank heaven ravenkith hasn't got cosmic power.:smalleek:
I would prefer anyone else in this thread...

[ravenkith]

I for one, think some of you would waste cosmic power completely - doing next to nothing to help humanity become better than what it has sunk to.

'With great power comes great responsibility' is right! The responsibility to use it as best as you can, for the betterment of the majority. Just look at the character, Spiderman, with whom this quote is most often associated: It was when he stood aside and did nothing that something terrible happened.

There are real issues facing the human race that we, as humans, currently lack the ability to solve. Issues that are probably beyond our normal capacity to effect.

While I agree that some of my solutions are quite radical, sometimes drastic measures are required in order for a solution to work.

It is, as I have indicated, my personal belief that humanity on the whole, is worth dedicating an immortal life to aiding. It is also my personal belief that the current state of the world is the direct result of the lowest common denominator bringing the rest of us down.

Think about it. If you couldn't lie to someone without their knowing, how would that affect crime? If you couldn't lie about your whereabouts or involvement, then you'd almost certainly be caught. It would also make it much harder to put innocent men in jail.

Judge, to a defendent that volunteered himself to testify: "Sir, I ask you: Did you commit this crime? A simple yes or no answer will suffice,"

Perjury would be a thing of the past. Con men would have a much tougher time of bilking old people out of their money. Identity theft would be next to impossible.

Politicians would not be able to make promises that they did not intend to keep.

As to the death sentences I enacted: True, they are rather draconian, but they are similar to penalties already in place worldwide.

Think: If we didn't have to waste time, money, and resources on trials for people who are, without a doubt, guilty of terrible crimes, we could spend it on more important things. We might be able to adequately fund education if we didn't have to house and feed murderers for twenty to fourty years.

Studies show that most rapists are repeat, oppurtunity-based offenders - given another chance, they'll most likely do it again. No trials: if you did it, you're out of here. I think pretty much every victim would be satisfied with that kind of justice...and with rape being so hard to prove sometimes, it seems that very few victims currently see any, something that deeply bothers me.

Child molestors and abusers? Yeah, that's just plain wrong. There is some argument that it's a genetic predisposition, like being gay, but 1. I think that's bull**** and 2. If it's true, I don't want that kind of crap in the gene pool.

It is kind of scary to think that one individual would have this kind of power over the rest of the human race. But you know what? With omnipotence comes the ability to grant yourself omniscience - something no mortal can claim.

From my mortal perspective, it seems like the steps I would take are cold, rational, and functional. No emotion involved.

It also seems like they would work.

Who's to say that were I all-knowing, and able to see the longterm consequences of my actions play out before actually having them do so, I wouldn't take different ones?

From where I sit though, with the possible exception of the racial genetic memory, everything I've offered up seems to add up to the building of a better world.

Isn't it just and right that those who do wrong be punished for their actions? How can you argue against that?

No really, how can you possibly argue that death for murders rapists and those who molest and abuse children is anything but the sanest and most appropriate of all responses?

How can you argue that the ability to lie makes life better?

[Tekren]

(Hijack)
The real question is what would we would do to improve the world if we were not so dang lazy.
(/hijack)
Now, a list ordered by probability

1. With cosmic power I would be so afraid to destroy the universe with a misplaced glance that I would end up preventing anyone, even me, from gaining it ever again. And then I would give it up.

2. Make everyone's surface thoughts appear in bubbles over their heads. Hopefully the fatalities will be minimal.

3. Kill a LOT of people.

4. Cure a LOT of people.

5. Convert all cars into hydrogen versions thereof, and all gas stations to hydrogen stations, and make the energy conversion rate of solar energy to hydrogen gas and hydrogen gas to kinetic force to 95% each, thus preserving the law of conservation of matter and solving the energy crunch.

6. Make IQ 120 look like IQ 100. (translation- make the average intelligence level of all humans to what is currently possessed by the top 5%)

7. Give everyone low-level empathy. You feel what they feel. That is likely to end a lot of suffering.

That's all I can think of right now.

[Hectonkhyres]

I for one, think some of you would waste cosmic power completely - doing next to nothing to help humanity become better than what it has sunk to.
What do you mean 'sunk to'?
We started out as a race of cannibalistic, chimpanzee-lookalike rapists... and by all rights thats what we still are. But we have never been at a higher state from which we might degenerate.

Now many of the acts you would take I believe to be horrible ideas... as in they inspire horror. As in I would dedicate my life to the possibly futile goal of killing you if I thought there was any chance at all you might actually be able to bring them to fruition.

Diversity is all our poor race has to its name and you wish to strip that away. All wonder, all hope, all challenge and intrigue, everything would be snuffed out. We would be left alone in bleak horror without even the illusion that something better might be just around the corner. Do the words 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' mean anything to you?

We wouldn't be people... we would be vaguely human-shaped Von Neumann machines barren of even those handful of redeeming traits we managed to scrape together over the years.

[BizzaroStormy]

I would rip everything on earth, including the planet itself, into its most basic particles. After which, I would reconstruct it to my liking. A place where all people constantly kill each other over minor differences. These peoples would share only 1 idea: That I am to be feared over all else, even by those who have already died.

[ravenkith]

What do you mean 'sunk to'?
We started out as a race of cannibalistic, chimpanzee-lookalike rapists... and by all rights thats what we still are. But we have never been at a higher state from which we might degenerate.


Specifically? I personally think that morally and ethically, we reached our pinnacle in the mid-to-late 20th century. Family units were less likely to break up, kids were more likely to received adequate parenting (and thus, better discipline), and the world, looking back, was a much safer place for most of us, with the extremely notable exceptions of the gender and race divides.

Look it up - statistics freely available courtesy of the world wide web.

Since the late 60s, early 70s, divorce rates have skyrocketed, as have the number of abandoned children, teen pregnancies, and teen arrests. I'm of the opinion that the decrease in time spent on parenting modern children directly impacts the number of mistakes such children make.

Personally, it is my belief that a lot of our society's problems can be traced back to improper or insufficient parenting. It's an oversimplification, but almost certainly a contributing factor.



Now many of the acts you would take I believe to be horrible ideas... as in they inspire horror. As in I would dedicate my life to the possibly futile goal of killing you if I thought there was any chance at all you might actually be able to bring them to fruition.


...and you would fail. Infinite power in my control, not in yours, remember? But then, since I'm immortal and invulnerable, as long as you don't murder, rape or abuse a child, you should be ok <shrug>, as you wouldn't be able to inflict permanent damage on me or my loved ones anyway.



Diversity is all our poor race has to its name and you wish to strip that away. All wonder, all hope, all challenge and intrigue, everything would be snuffed out. We would be left alone in bleak horror without even the illusion that something better might be just around the corner. Do the words 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' mean anything to you?


Did you actually read the posts I made...? The blue skin/red hair thing was a temporary measure, for one year only, in order to illustrate the point that despite the visible differences (hair, skin color), we are ONE RACE with cultural differences. Just because someone is from another country or another culture, doesn't make them another species. A lesson truly intended for the small-minded bigots out there - the KKK, those individuals persuing tribal warfare, you know, crap like that.

The introduction of a one world language was designed only to facilitate communication - and NOT to REPLACE the individual's existing language, only to SUPPLEMENT it.

Because I speak two languages I know that even when I'm speaking German, I'm still thinking in English, and then translating to German. So introducing a world language shouldn't damage cultural diversity.

The idea of a racial genetic memory would require some deep looking at, once I was omniscient. <Shrug>. I'm mortal - I can have bad ideas as much as the next guy - but as an immortal with infinite power, I'd immediately know whether it would work out or not, and act accordingly.

Plus, again, I'd like to state that I'd be allowing only factual information to pass on...things like science, math, geometry and languages.

Yes I know there's no way to explain that in real life, but 1. this is a fantasy and 2. I have infinite power in this fantasy, remember?



We wouldn't be people... we would be vaguely human-shaped Von Neumann machines barren of even those handful of redeeming traits we managed to scrape together over the years.

I haven't at any point actually impinged on an individual's free will. If you want to lie, go ahead - it's just the person you are lying to will know about it.

If you want to murder, rape, abuse children - go ahead: just keep in mind that you will always be caught, and always suffer the maximum penalty, with no exceptions.

Inflicting permanent harm on someone, while intending to do so, is known in many countries as assault with grievous bodily harm. It is punishable by life sentences in extreme cases - which, I'm sure you will agree, is perfectly justifiable.

In my mind locking someone up for forty-plus years is much worse than instantaneously ending their life, with little or no pain, as would be indicated by being teleported into the sun (you'd be burnt to cinders in microseconds). Hence , severe crimes get the same, severe punishments.

If you want to buy a different car, you'll be able to. My point with the replacement of existing vehicles was to get a much needed, currently VERY expensive technology into the hands of as many people as possible, but only where it will be of use.

It will also take older, less efficient vehicles off the road, and drastically reduce the amount of emissions being poured into our atmosphere.

Furthermore, after ten years, the car will probably start breaking down anyway, and need to be replaced regardless, as most normal daily drivers start to fall apart at that point. It's, again, a temporary stopgap measure, an effort to demonstrate a point: after up to ten years of low/no emissions, and people living in the cleaner air, will people be so casual about the poisons that combustion engines pump into the air we breathe?

With the reduced dependence on oil (compared to what companies like Texaco and Exxon currently enjoy), how will that affect the price-gouging business models they currently have in place?

When a company is making $9 billion plus in profits and is STILL raising prices, that's just greed at the expense of your fellow man.

In addition, the removal of all current nuclear weapons doesn't make it impossible to build new ones. it just resets everything to zero, and takes the ability to destroy the world out of the hands of tin-pot dictatorships. I'm not changing the laws of physics here...I'm just hoping to inspire the thought, in various countries worldwide that SOMEONE sure as hell doesn't approve of nuclear weapons and biowarfare, and investing a chunk of your GDP into such things when they might just 'up and disappear' MIGHT be contra-indicated.

Plus, if the message doesn't get across the first time, I'll repeat as necessary. <shrug>. I REALLY don't like the idea of being at the mercy (or good sense) of the kind of jackass currently helming North Korea that ordered his people to go out and crap on their own lawns.

It's all well and good to go to war with someone, but when your weapons exceed your ability to mitigate the damage they produce, that's either insanity or just plain stupid - two kinds of people that really, y'know, probably shouldn't have their fingers on the big red button.

The whole concept of such weapons is that of a deterrent: the idea that, if we have them, no-one will mess with us. But why waste money on bigger and badder bombs if you aren't going to use them anyway?

Spend those mega-dollars on education or food - something you actually need.

At the end of the day, if you put aside your knee-jerk liberal/conservative/whatever reactions, and think my proposals through - you'll find that they are rational solutions to legitimate problems.

The disposal of murdering/raping/abusing trash should help alleviate both population problems and prison overcrowding worldwide. It also deals with the problem of serial killers, or other repeat offenders. It deals with the problem of terrorism, to a large degree - and it doesn't do anything that isn't already law in many countries in the world.

In addition, the provision for members of the armed services allows both sanctioned political assassination AND normal warfare, as long as it is conducted through official channels during the course of a military operation. This is important, because it illustrates that I'm not actively interfering in the rule of legitimate regional governments.

The alteration of vast areas of desert and poor farmland into good farmland, and the regulation of the weather, will help provide the opportunity for places like Ethiopia to permanently solve their food shortage problems. With good soil, and perfect weather for growing crops, there will be no more famine, with just a little investment from the US or other countries, basically providing seed and tools (something many countries and organizations have been doing for years).

As an added benefit, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, tidal waves, mudslides, flooding? Not so much. <shrug>.

To sum up: While these proposed steps may be radical, they in no way impinge directly on freedom of choice, or permanently alter an individual's culture.

I'm not sure where this 'stripping of diversity' you mention is coming from.

As for challenges, I'm sure the universe, the solar system, the deeper environmental problems, the cultural differences will not prove to be any substitute to figuring out whether or not to take an umbrella to work, or whether to pack a gun when going into the hood, or for that matter, figuring out whether to starve or starve this week in Ethiopia. <Yes children, it's our old friend sarcasm>.

[HolderofSecrets]

...and you would fail. Infinite power in my control, not in yours, remember? But then, since I'm immortal and invulnerable, as long as you don't murder, rape or abuse a child, you should be ok <shrug>, as you wouldn't be able to inflict permanent damage on me or my loved ones anyway.

Actually since he meant before you became immortal and Infinite power he could succeed and there would probably be people to help him. Your plan is horrible for those who seek a choice. Your stances if enforced would remove most of people choices. Its the reason more then one person here has taken a stance against you. Please stop being so closed minded about how others think.

[ravenkith]

Actually since he meant before you became immortal and Infinite power he could succeed and there would probably be people to help him. Your plan is horrible for those who seek a choice. Your stances if enforced would remove most of people choices. Its the reason more then one person here has taken a stance against you. Please stop being so closed minded about how others think.

So you advocate the choice to murder, the choice to rape and the choice to abuse children...?

You want people to lie...you want to poison the world....you want racism to prevail?

Huh. Yet I'm the one who stands opposed?

Given cosmic power, the very first thing I would do would be protecting me and mine...as indicated in my first post.

That means, by the time you figured out that I had gotten the power to enact my plans, it would be too late. In addition, I also stated that I would remain anonymous...which is the ultimate protection.

I don't crave fame, or fortune. I don't crave power or glory. All I want is a better world.

A safer world.

A world in which people know that awful actions have awful consequences.

If you have fear of me holding cosmic power, then you have wrongdoing in your heart...and I pity you.

Only the guilty need fear me.

[HolderofSecrets]

So you advocate the choice to murder, the choice to rape and the choice to abuse children...?

You want people to lie...you want to poison the world....you want racism to prevail?

Huh. Yet I'm the one who stands opposed?

Given cosmic power, the very first thing I would do would be protecting me and mine...as indicated in my first post.

That means, by the time you figured out that I had gotten the power to enact my plans, it would be too late. In addition, I also stated that I would remain anonymous...which is the ultimate protection.

I don't crave fame, or fortune. I don't crave power or glory. All I want is a better world.

A safer world.

A world in which people know that awful actions have awful consequences.

If you have fear of me holding cosmic power, then you have wrongdoing in your heart...and I pity you.

Only the guilty need fear me.

Hey dude, I think the only reason some of us are standing against you on your methods is we have already learned from other sources. It actually has been thought over by probably hundreds of people before. Not only that but its a common theme in stories and has its own Trope. You might want to read this:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KnightTemplar

Its so common infact that RedCloak of OotS is actually Quoted. If you still don't see what is wrong with your actions then I am afraid you probably still don't understand why Miko lost her Paladin abilities.

[Laesin]

In my case I would implement these measures.
1. Unless available resources increase the population remains stable.
The Individual in the world with the lowest quality of life (subjectively measured based upon perception of the individual affected) dies peacefully in their sleep upon the birth of the latest member of the human race. As resources increase the population increases at half that rate, thus causing an overall increase in average quality of life.
2. No-one can die by any means other than the previous clause or through their own personal choice. (In which case the next person born does not cause a death.)
3. Injuries of any severity will heal over a short time up to and including injuries that would have been permanently crippling.
4. All hereditary defects, defined as inherited conditions that adversely impact quality of life excluding social factors, will no longer occur. (I would remove them retroactively but those who have lived with them for years would probably have a very difficult time adjusting.)
5. Across the globe many scientists would over a period of weeks discover efficient, sustainable methods of producing energy and materiel. During the same time unrenewable resources would be become increasingly difficult to acquire.

[Hectonkhyres]

Sir, those weren't the only chafing points. You essentially made the United Nations your mortal hand and the throne of a world girdling empire. All other peoples and governments are subservient. You give all men a cookie cutter lifespan, twist us so that the voices of our ancestors are eternally blaring in our ears, remove hard work from the acquisition of skill... now you can craft a chair just because your father could. You made every human being on the planet look completely identical for goodness sakes. You killed weather and half the biomes on the planet.

Sorry, but I'm a little squeamish about such things.

[ravenkith]

Hey dude, I think the only reason some of us are standing against you on your methods is we have already learned from other sources. It actually has been thought over by probably hundreds of people before. Not only that but its a common theme in stories and has its own Trope. You might want to read this:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KnightTemplar

Its so common infact that RedCloak of OotS is actually Quoted. If you still don't see what is wrong with your actions then I am afraid you probably still don't understand why Miko lost her Paladin abilities.



Sometimes the Forces of Light get too hardcore. Beyond the Well Intentioned Extremist, they get blinded by themselves and their ideals, and this extreme becomes fascism. There may be a hidden Force of Darkness operative behind this, but other times, it's all their own fault.

Usually their primary step is to get rid of that pesky "free will" thing that is the cause of crime and evil. To many Knight Templar types, All Crimes Are Equal, and the lightest offenses are met with full imprisonment, death or brainwashing. Note that the canonical "minor offense with staggeringly out-of-proportion punishment" is jaywalking. If you're in a story like this, don't jaywalk.


Uh, as you can see above, my friend, I don't quite fit what you are referring to. For one thing, I'm not in any way impinging on free will.

For another, I'm not interested in the lesser crimes. Murder, Rape, Child abuse, Child molestation, and permenent damage inflicted intentionally on your fellow man are the only things that made the list.

All of these are fairly serious crimes against nature, humanity, and ethical behaviour.

Furthermore, most countries have rules prohibiting this sort of behaviour, with severe punishments ranging from death to castration.

Personally, I feel that if you are going to go around doing these sorts of things, (and please note, the individual actually has to commit or help commit the crime in order to receive justice), then you should be punished for doing so.

You certainly shouldn't be left to roam at will, repeatedly breaking these rules laid down by your fellow man.

There is nothing that offends me more than someone who has committed a heinous crime going free on a technicality.

How many lives does a person get to ruin before their own is forfeit?

Given cosmic power, I'd simply enforce the rules humanity has already chosen for itself to the maximum. There is no excuse for that kind of behaviour.



Sir, those weren't the only chafing points. You essentially made the United Nations your mortal hand and the throne of a world girdling empire. All other peoples and governments are subservient.

Urm....that's just plain wrong. I never said I would CONTROL the united nations....I said I would support it...as in, y'know, study each of the resolutions and proposals coming out of the legitimate world government, and after finding their conclusions valid, act to enforce them.

As in, making myself an extension of the UN, with the right to refuse to follow orders that I believe are wrong or unethical.

Technically, the UN is supposed superior to all member nations - it has the empower to impose embargos, sanctions, and establish rules that member nations are supposed to follow.

Originally it was created in order to help the nations of the world communicate with one another, work together on global problems, and help avoid wars and atrocities.

It has since morphed into an organization that proposes solutions to the world's problems, whatever they are, and, unfortunately, one that no-one seems to pay much attention to.

It's just doesn't have the firepower to make anything stick, and is currently dominated by the five members of the security council, so is inherently unbalanced in the favor of the first worldd countries.

It is far from perfect, but it's the best thing we've got going for us as a species, and as such, it deserves support.

Obviously I'd prefer to make it more representative, perhaps based on population, or on physical country size, but wither of those options have their own problems.



You give all men a cookie cutter lifespan


I guarantee a maximum of 100 years, free of disease. That is all.

You can still get yourself killed, or break your own bones, or research the atom, whatever.



, twist us so that the voices of our ancestors are eternally blaring in our ears, remove hard work from the acquisition of skill... now you can craft a chair just because your father could.


First, I've already admitted that this might be a mistake. As a mortal, I just don't know. As an immortal with infinite power, I would know the answer as to how it would turn out and act accordingly.

Second, the way I designed it, only factual information would be passed on.

Third, just because you know how to do something doesn't mean you are any good at it.

Take the NFL draft for example - any of the players selected in the first few rounds, based on their experience in college and their physical capabilities, should be a fantastic addition to any team. Most, however, aren't.



You made every human being on the planet look completely identical for goodness sakes.

Yes. For goodness' sake. And for a duration of 1 year only. Which I have stated multiple times. Please pay attention.


You killed weather and half the biomes on the planet.


No, I regulated weather and disposed of deserts, marsh and tundra. That still leaves us with forests, jungles, plains and mountains, not to mention coastlines and oceans. 3/9 does not equal 1/2.

Weather will still exist, it'll just be predictable and much less severe. No more hurricane season. No more people dying in the hundreds due to freak snowstorms. No ruined crops or ruined lives due to vagaries of the wind.

The earth will be highly productive and be the best possible kind of earth for supporting vegetation.

Deserts, Marsh and Tundra, as far as I know, don't do anyone a whole hell of a lot of good, and serve primarily as buffer zones for extreme weather or as breakwater zones for possible flooding.

One is too hot to support human life, one is far too wet and not solid enough, and one is far too cold and barren.

By turning these regions into livable, productive areas, part of the world population crisis will be eased.

Again, I might be mistaken here - my limited understanding of how the different types of regions interact is obviously hampering me. With omniscience, however, I would know whether this was a good or bad idea.

But then, if any problems crop up, I'll always be around to fix them, so who gives a flying....you know.

I'm not an extremist. I'm not advocating killing people for jaywalking, or stealing loaves of bread. I'm not removing free will. You can choose to be whatever you want. You can choose to kill someone, or rape someone or molest a child.

But you will pay the price, and no amount of smoothtalking, no bribery, no technicality will allow you to escape from that fact.

Finally, Miko lost her paladin powers because she attacked an unarmed old man who was trying to do the right thing by any means necessary.

He also happened to be her liege lord, the one she had been sworn to...and in the process, she brought her world one step closer to complete and total destruction (and the twelve gods along with it), by smashing into the sapphire that enclosed the snarl gate.

So, in this example, I'd be the unarmed old man....and YOU'D be the shortsighted paladin.

Hi.

Isn't it nice to know where you really stand?

[Blue Paladin]

With omniscience, however, I would know whether this was a good or bad idea.Here's my only quibble: you're not omniscient. Just omnipotent.

Heh. "Just" omnipotent.

Anyway, despite its definition, omnipotent doesn't even mean unbeatable. The Phoenix gets beaten on a fairly regular basis. The Doctor faces that pesky "death" thing.

And for those of you fixated on ravenkith's changes, dudes, chill. I read the same thread, so I'm omnipotent too. Look! I wave my hand and undo what he does. Then he makes some changes again. So I revert those changes. Ad infinitum. Anyone else want to claim their omnipotent internet thread powers and make this a Three Way Dance? Fatal Four Way? Free For All!

Personally, I'm a smitey kind of guy myself. I might just let some of those changes go :P

[ravenkith]

Here's my only quibble: you're not omniscient. Just omnipotent.

Heh. "Just" omnipotent.

Anyway, despite its definition, omnipotent doesn't even mean unbeatable. The Phoenix gets beaten on a fairly regular basis. The Doctor faces that pesky "death" thing.

And for those of you fixated on ravenkith's changes, dudes, chill. I read the same thread, so I'm omnipotent too. Look! I wave my hand and undo what he does. Then he makes some changes again. So I revert those changes. Ad infinitum. Anyone else want to claim their omnipotent internet thread powers and make this a Three Way Dance? Fatal Four Way? Free For All!

Personally, I'm a smitey kind of guy myself. I might just let some of those changes go :P

Enh, Omnipotence means all-powerful: so I figure I can give myself the ability to be invulnerable, immortal and omniscient. <shrug>.

The Doctor (Authority) was an addled drug addict who got killed by the Spirit of Death Incarnate, which I'm assuming, basically means Rose Tattoo can kill anything that lives.

So, yeah, If I made someone into the analogue of Rose Tattoo, I might be in trouble, but otherwise....

Menh. It's all a hypothetical excercise at any rate.

[GoC]

murder, rape
The problem is these aren't just yes or no factors. Rape varies from the person not feeling like it but going along anyway so as not to lose a "friend" to the gangrape gangs to the horrible boyfriends. The psycological effects also depend on the culture.
Speaking of which why do you think rape is an offence punishable by death?:smallconfused:
There are far worse things to do to a person.
btw: Permanent harm includes losing a tooth, right?

In fact instead of implementing rules telling society what not to do why don't you help them do the right thing? Make them more intelligent and with greater empathy. Create a cheap mind-machine interface so everyone can educate themselves quickly should they desire to do so.
Instead of punishing people fix the damage they caused!
Why kill the murderer instead of changing the event that made him a murderuous person and making sure the murder never happens in the first place? This makes no sense.
You sound like a person with very fixed views but even you can see the advantage in fixing the cause and the problem instead of killing people.

[Hectonkhyres]

Also remember that, lets say, a nineteen year old having sex with a seventeen year old is considered statutory rape and two fifteen year olds going at it are both considered guilty if their hormones get out of control. But off to the center of the sun they go!

[Dalenthas]

To be fair to Ravenkith, I don't think he honestly meant to include statutory in there. If he did, well, then he's just more evil than I thought.

[ravenkith]

The problem is these aren't just yes or no factors. Rape varies from the person not feeling like it but going along anyway so as not to lose a "friend" to the gangrape gangs to the horrible boyfriends. The psycological effects also depend on the culture.
Speaking of which why do you think rape is an offence punishable by death?
There are far worse things to do to a person.
btw: Permanent harm includes losing a tooth, right?

In fact instead of implementing rules telling society what not to do why don't you help them do the right thing? Make them more intelligent and with greater empathy. Create a cheap mind-machine interface so everyone can educate themselves quickly should they desire to do so.
Instead of punishing people fix the damage they caused!
Why kill the murderer instead of changing the event that made him a murderuous person and making sure the murder never happens in the first place? This makes no sense.
You sound like a person with very fixed views but even you can see the advantage in fixing the cause and the problem instead of killing people.


In order of importance:

1. I'm not implementing, or creating rules, here. I'm simply enforcing laws that already exist, and in some cases, upping the costs for breaking those laws.

1. Rape. Why am I so against rape? Well I'd normally start by asking why aren't you, but that seems counter-productive.

Instead, I'll just point out the amount of mental damage that can be inflicted on an individual by that kind of abuse. I'll point out that many victims are too ashamed to come forward, to speak out. When they do, they are usually treated quite badly, as if it were somehow their fault, and are often not believed. I'll point out how many perpetrators of this type of crime often go unpunished, getting away with it because of technicalities or intimidation, and then going out and finding another victim in order to do it all over again.

As to the difficulties surrounding rape, well, first you have to define your terms.

Rape = Forced intercourse.

Specifically, when a person says no, but the other person involved forces the issue either through blackmail or violence.

Date Rape = Surreptitious use of illegal drugs to allow a perpetrator to take advantage of lowered inhibitions or unconscious states in order to have sex with an individual who, ordinarily, would not be willing.

Statutory rape = when an older person takes advantage of a younger person's lack of knowledge/willpower/desire to please in order to gain sexual favors.

In Texas (where I currently live) the law states 17 years of age, or within two years age difference. I think this sounds about right, so I'll go with them as the rules. That means that while a 20 year old screwing a 17 year old WOULD get an all-expense paid trip to the sun, two fifteen year olds bumping uglies would not. For that matter, a 17 year old and a 19 year old would be fine too.

All three should be punishable by death. They are terrible things to do to another human being.

3. My original statement was Permenant, irreperable harm inflicted on purpose.

So, a tooth would not count, because a couple of trips to the dentist, and bingo bango bongo, you've got a new tooth and you go on living life as if it never happened.

For that matter, accidentally hitting someone while driving in your car would also not count. It's an accident. You didn't mean to do it. You weren't aiming for the guy, right? Of course, you may end up getting sued by the family, or the guy himself, but that's a matter for the courts.

On the other hand, deliberately chopping off someone's toe, or leg, or hand, despite the availability of prosthetic limbs, would fall under this category. I'm pretty sure we'd all agree that a wooden leg is no replacement for a flesh-and-blood one.

As for the fixes you propose, I did consider such proposals before ruling them out.

1. Handing out superpowers to people you don't trust is just a bad idea. An increase in intelligence on the scale you seem to be proposing is tantamount to doing just that. I also concur with some of the other posters that challenge is vital for the human race to flourish, and handing out intelligence would seem to be counter-productive.

2. Increased empathy. Well, to that, I say read Ender's game. Card raises an excellent point: is having a lot of empathy always a good thing? I for one, think not. Also, see Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser for further emphasis.

3. Creating a cheap mind machine: the logistics on this one are ridiculous, and eventually someone will figure out a way to abuse it. It'd be like putting a copy of the anarchist's cookbook in the back pocket of every five year old. "Oh, hey, we've been trying to figure out how to make LSD for years!" Yeah, I've got to go with no on that one.

While I believe that a minimum of education is necessary for all people, I don't think it would be advisable to pump that knowledge into a five year old.

All in all, it is far more effective to upload that minimum to all people and have it passed down from parent to child, phasing in as the child reaches high school age. Ideally, it'd feel like, and look like, as a student gets exposed to certain theories and formula, they simply retain them very well and understand them at the deepest levels possible.

I've come to think, on careful reconsideration, that anything more than that would be dangerous and irresponsible, and probably altogether counterproductive.

4. As to 'fixing the causes' I've come to conclude that A. Screwing with time is ALWAYS a bad idea, B. Some people are just better off out of the gene pool and C. Trying to fix things before they are broken just doesn't work.

In addition, I have to admit I'm leery of screwing with the human race too much. That's why many of my proposals only enforce laws that already exist, or are temporary measures that will hopefully provoke voluntary change.

I like lots of things about humanity. I like our passion, our inventiveness, our creativity. I like our compassion, our ability to reach for, and achieve, greatness.

I'd prefer to avoid anything that would alter those things that I like about this race...and I truly believe that we are already capable of being a great species, and that we just need to want to be better. We need to see a goal to reach for, and go for it.

In the end, we're talking about cause and effect, here - you can't have the effect (you going back in time and changing the guy so he's not a murderer) without having the cause in the first place (the actual murder that caused you to go back in time). They are called paradoxes. And generally end badly for those involved, by all accounts. <shrug>.

[ray53208]

ever read black summer by warren ellis?
yeah. that.

other than this i would dismantle the corporate state. i would reinstall a democratic republic for, of, and by the people. i would put extreme pressure on governments and corporations (that survived the purge) to undo the damage and negate and further damage to our planet and people. i would insist that compassion and education come first and that war and greed come last. i would allow people to be free to live and love as they choose.

i would not negate free will. i would not punish people for "conspiring" or having bad thoughts. i would not install draconian measures to validate some personal grudge or deep seeded emotional issue... beyond that whole black summer thing.

i would travel time and bring jesus and mohammad to the present to do interviews on national tv as to what they really meant; and then watch organised religion unravel.

quit trying to "make people better" through external means. its a lie. you create slaves not human beings. monsters, not heroes. allow and encourage them to better themselves, to be better people. better isnt about wealth, but instead compassion, reason, and a desire to learn. become an example and give them the opportunity. its all you can do.

[GoC]

1. Rape. Why am I so against rape? Well I'd normally start by asking why aren't you, but that seems counter-productive.
I am definitely against it but I don't think it should always be punished by death.


Instead, I'll just point out the amount of mental damage that can be inflicted on an individual by that kind of abuse.
I'll use an example from statutory rape below. Specificaly a 16 year old girl (a friend of mine) and her 20 year old boyfriend. They've recently broken up but while they were together they were quite happy and there was no emotional damage.
The emotional damage varies a LOT. From zero for most statutory rape to more than ten psyciatrists could quantify.


When they do, they are usually treated quite badly, as if it were somehow their fault, and are often not believed.
A friend of mine told me that when someone he knew was raped the guy was beaten to within an inch of his life by her brothers and friends.:smallbiggrin:


Date Rape = Surreptitious use of illegal drugs to allow a perpetrator to take advantage of lowered inhibitions or unconscious states in order to have sex with an individual who, ordinarily, would not be willing.
In some countries alcohol is illegal so it clearly falls under your definition of a date-rape drug.


All three should be punishable by death. They are terrible things to do to another human being.
I think my friend above would disagree. You'd also have to standardize age of consent across the globe and I bet that means enforcing your Texan view of the world on everyone else. Yikes.


So, a tooth would not count, because a couple of trips to the dentist, and bingo bango bongo, you've got a new tooth and you go on living life as if it never happened.
Really? I was unaware doctors had found a way to make new teeth. Or are you saying a prostetic is as good as the original?
Just make people smarter so they can use cloning to grow new limbs, teeth, ect.
Does chopping off the finger (of someone sleeping with your spouse) in a fit of rage count as deliberate harm?


1. Handing out superpowers to people you don't trust is just a bad idea. An increase in intelligence on the scale you seem to be proposing is tantamount to doing just that. I also concur with some of the other posters that challenge is vital for the human race to flourish, and handing out intelligence would seem to be counter-productive.
What?
So a 20 point increase in IQ means there are no challenges and what do you know, I'm a superhero!


3. Creating a cheap mind machine: the logistics on this one are ridiculous, and eventually someone will figure out a way to abuse it.
Logistics? You're GOD for crying out loud! You can make it abuse proof.


While I believe that a minimum of education is necessary for all people, I don't think it would be advisable to pump that knowledge into a five year old.
Just limit it to responsible people (an age minimum?).


All in all, it is far more effective to upload that minimum to all people and have it passed down from parent to child, phasing in as the child reaches high school age. Ideally, it'd feel like, and look like, as a student gets exposed to certain theories and formula, they simply retain them very well and understand them at the deepest levels possible.
That's the same as an Int bump.


4. As to 'fixing the causes' I've come to conclude that A. Screwing with time is ALWAYS a bad idea, B. Some people are just better off out of the gene pool and C. Trying to fix things before they are broken just doesn't work.
Why? Then fix them. Why?

In addition, I have to admit I'm leery of screwing with the human race too much. That's why many of my proposals only enforce laws that already exist, or are temporary measures that will hopefully provoke voluntary change.
Death sentences for everyone and no more lying seems like a lot of screwing.


In the end, we're talking about cause and effect, here - you can't have the effect (you going back in time and changing the guy so he's not a murderer) without having the cause in the first place (the actual murder that caused you to go back in time). They are called paradoxes. And generally end badly for those involved, by all accounts. <shrug>.
A. Yes you can. Use your god powers to reverse the direction of every particle in the universe. Once the event you want to change has been reached restore the normal flow of time and change it
B. Yeah if you believe everything you see on TV.

[ravenkith]

I am definitely against it but I don't think it should always be punished by death.


You are wrong. <shrug>.



I'll use an example from statutory rape below. Specificaly a 16 year old girl (a friend of mine) and her 20 year old boyfriend. They've recently broken up but while they were together they were quite happy and there was no emotional damage.
The emotional damage varies a LOT. From zero for most statutory rape to more than ten psyciatrists could quantify.


Below a certain age, people just aren't ready for sex. They aren't ready for the power it gives someone over them, and the emotional highs and lows of being in a physically intimate relationship.

That's why statutory rape rules exist: because sometimes young people are just too inexperienced to know when they are being taken advantage of.

Your 20 year old friend is kind of disgusting, actually. There he is (presumably in college) and he's dating a junior in High School. Shouldn't he be dating people his own age, rather than risking getting a 16 year-old pregnant and ruining her entire life before she even has a chance to get it started?

Most young people experimenting with sex just don't understand how painful the ramifications of such experimentation can be...things that older individuals are fully aware of...and that's why statutory rape rules exist.



A friend of mine told me that when someone he knew was raped the guy was beaten to within an inch of his life by her brothers and friends.:smallbiggrin:
[quote]

1. That's an isolated case. Look at the statistics. They're really quite depressing.

2. Is one beating a sufficient punishement? Was he really beaten almost to death? Has anybody been checking up on him to see if he's done it again?

I'd say no, no and probably not, but then, I can be quite cynical at times.

[quote]
In some countries alcohol is illegal so it clearly falls under your definition of a date-rape drug.


No. Just no. First of all, the word 'surreptitious' means, basically, 'secretly'. Alcohol just isn't the kind of drug that can be used in this manner: it takes too much of it for it to start affecting your cognitive functions in that way, and it isn't a sudden onset.

However, if somebody deliberately got someone drunk, waitied until they fell asleep, and then raped them (i.e., normally the person would say no)...well, they're outta there.



I think my friend above would disagree. You'd also have to standardize age of consent across the globe and I bet that means enforcing your Texan view of the world on everyone else. Yikes.


Someone has to set a standard. The Texas rules are more lenient than some, harsher than others. In my opinion it's a good balance. I say this as an immigrant to the US, so I've had exposure to multiple sets of laws...and you have to draw the line somewhere, and it has to be meaningful. <shrug>.

I don't know your friend...but he's a heel for taking advantage of a sixteen year old like that.



Really? I was unaware doctors had found a way to make new teeth. Or are you saying a prostetic is as good as the original?


Some prosthetics are just as good as the original. Some are not. I tried to clarify the difference in a previous post. Plus, in most cases, when a tooth gets knocked out...? You aren't actually deliberately trying to knock out a tooth.



Just make people smarter so they can use cloning to grow new limbs, teeth, ect.


See my response to the question of super-intelligence.



Does chopping off the finger (of someone sleeping with your spouse) in a fit of rage count as deliberate harm?


Well, for one thing, it takes a lot of effort to sever someone's finger (or other body part). You can't do it with a knife or a pair of household scissors. I just ain't that easy. You need a pair of gardne shears or something. If you take the time to make a PLAN to go and get the shears, sneak back in to wherever he is, and then cut his finger off? Yes, of course.

You aren't doing it a rage at that point.

Most people I know don't actually keep tools capable of removing fingers in their bedrooms.

Besides all that, why are you going to do time/die for the bitch that cheated on you anyway? File for divorce on grounds and take all the money, and let the new guy pay for her shoe habit.



What?
So a 20 point increase in IQ means there are no challenges and what do you know, I'm a superhero!


20 points doesn't sound like much....but when you are increasing EVERYONE'S IQ by 20 points, sure, you're bring the low end up to normal...but what about the high end?

There are so many unknown consequences of actually raising intelligence...there are theories out there that postulate that intelligence is inversely related to compassion, for instance.

In addition, a raise like that across the board would drastically reduce the difficulty of solving the problems facing humanity, and remove a lot of the challenging aspects of life.

Combined with some of the changes I've already decided to make, it could prove disasterous.



Logistics? You're GOD for crying out loud! You can make it abuse proof.


No, I wouldn't be God. I'd be a man with god-like powers. A small difference, it's true, but man is fallible, while God is not.

Even if I had the power of God, I could never be god, because I could make mistakes - some of which might prove irreversible, even with all my power.



That's the same as an Int bump.


No, no it's not. One is simply better access to, and retention of, raw information. The other is a radical change in the makeup of your mind and thought processes.

Having access to the whole internet does not make you any better at solving problems, or creative thinking, or synthesis of information. It just makes it easier to research things.



Why? Then fix them. Why?


Let me explain this to you:
1. Even with the power of a god, screwing with the past is a bad idea. Any changes I made could possibly result in me never existing in the first place, or worse, an altogether different me ending up with cosmic power, and becoming my rival, even if I secured myself against the possible effects of aa self-correcting timestream. It's a whole can of worms, I for one, am too smart to screw with.

Or to put it another way: "What has happened has happened, and couldn't have happened any other way,"

2. There are some hypotheses that state that the inclination toward murder, rape, and child molestation/abuse that many convicted criminals feel is due to an improper balance of chemicals in the brain, combined with the environment they were raised in. So I'd A. Have to completely rebuild them from the ground up. B. Completely rebuild and reprogram their parents from the ground up and C. Completely rebuild and reprogram their grandparents from the ground up.....and so on and so on...at which point the person that they were before never existed, so it's like you killed them anyway.

Of course, this means I'd be screwing with time again, which, as I said before, I'm entirely too smart to do.

3. I'm not perfect. I can make mistakes. I'm not god, just a really, really powerful human. Any possibility of a mistake that would strip me of my power is to be avoided at all costs: because, if I lose the power, then I can't fix the mistake. Duh.



Death sentences for everyone and no more lying seems like a lot of screwing.


Lies aren't necessary...and if you really want to lie, wear a hat. Death sentences are not for everybody, just everybody that breaks certain laws, that, in many cases, would cause their deaths or long prison terms if they were convicted in any case. All I'm doing is removing the need for a long and expensive trial, and a long and expensive (and generally ineffective) prison term.



A. Yes you can. Use your god powers to reverse the direction of every particle in the universe. Once the event you want to change has been reached restore the normal flow of time and change it
B. Yeah if you believe everything you see on TV.

I don't have an understanding of particle physics, and I suspect, neither do you. What I do know is this: you can't even OBSERVE a particle in an experiment without screwing the whole thing up.

So...yeah, smart enough not to screw with time travel.

Oh and as regards TV - I have no direct experience with time travel and neither does anyone else. THere is no scientific evidence currently available, and certainly no laws or even theories available, only hypotheses.

As such, all hypotheses are equally valid, and in the absence of hard intel, caution must be employed. <shrug>

[Hectonkhyres]

Some of the best things in existence are lies and deception. We lie to children to make life bearable for them. We tell them Santa Claus is real and that people are inherently good and that there are no monsters. We craft such wonderful lies such as eternal love, justice, peace, hope. We tell each other that there is a great and loving god an instant outside our vision ready to catch us when we fall. We convince ourselves that we are not things made of dust, that our acts have meaning beyond that of vain whispers in the wind. We could not live without the lie.

[ravenkith]

Yes we could.

Apparently you know about all these 'lies' and seem to be living just fine. (Really, though, some of your 'lies' are kind of questionable).

Truthfully, love can last forever - or at least until you shuffle off this mortal coil (I don't have any hard data on what, if anything, comes after that).

Even after you die, love can go on - your spouse will love you, if she survives you, your children will love you, maybe your grandchildren, if you are fortunate enough to have any.

Our lives do have meaning - in that which we leave behind, in our effect on others.

Think about the charitable foundations that continue even after the person who started them has left this world. Think about the effect that the founding fathers had on the US, or that Henry VIII had on world religion.

That aside, whatever the inability to lie will take away, the ability to know you can trust someone's word will help make up for.

Combined with the knowledge that there is justice in the world (murders, rapists, child molestor = instant death), I'd think people would be ok.

But that's just my opinion. I've been wrong before, and I could be wrong again. <shrug>

[GoC]

You are wrong. <shrug>.
Such a cunning argument.


Below a certain age, people just aren't ready for sex. They aren't ready for the power it gives someone over them, and the emotional highs and lows of being in a physically intimate relationship.
Ok, it's settled. You know nothing about culture and how it means people are *gasp* different!
The girls where I live mature much earlier than the american girls I've met both physicaly and emotionaly. They're as emotionaly mature as an 18 year old american at 15.


That's why statutory rape rules exist: because sometimes young people are just too inexperienced to know when they are being taken advantage of.
You do realise how you get experience right? You managed to undermine your own argument.


Your 20 year old friend is kind of disgusting, actually. There he is (presumably in college) and he's dating a junior in High School. Shouldn't he be dating people his own age, rather than risking getting a 16 year-old pregnant and ruining her entire life before she even has a chance to get it started?
Umm...
I'd appreciate it is you didn't just skim my posts. I'm friends with the 16 year old I've only ever seen her ex-boyfriend once.


Most young people experimenting with sex just don't understand how painful the ramifications of such experimentation can be...things that older individuals are fully aware of...and that's why statutory rape rules exist.
Again, depends on the person. Some people I know regret having sex so early, others just consider it a fun time in their life.
btw: The much lower age of consent here means I know quite a few "victims" of your definition of statutory rape.


1. That's an isolated case. Look at the statistics. They're really quite depressing.
Isolated case where you live but here people often solve their problems outside the law.


2. Is one beating a sufficient punishement? Was he really beaten almost to death? Has anybody been checking up on him to see if he's done it again?
Heh, he was cut up quite a bit (apparently he has quite a few scars) but I don't think he'll try again. Death due to raping someone is not that uncommon.

I'd say no, no and probably not, but then, I can be quite cynical at times.
You don't live here and don't know how people react. Gossip is the national sport for women and this is a fairly small city.


No. Just no. First of all, the word 'surreptitious' means, basically, 'secretly'. Alcohol just isn't the kind of drug that can be used in this manner: it takes too much of it for it to start affecting your cognitive functions in that way, and it isn't a sudden onset.
Ah, a new word.


Someone has to set a standard. The Texas rules are more lenient than some, harsher than others. In my opinion it's a good balance. I say this as an immigrant to the US, so I've had exposure to multiple sets of laws...and you have to draw the line somewhere, and it has to be meaningful. <shrug>.
An immigrant from where? Definitely not latin america.
Texas laws are far harsher than most others.


Some prosthetics are just as good as the original. Some are not. I tried to clarify the difference in a previous post. Plus, in most cases, when a tooth gets knocked out...? You aren't actually deliberately trying to knock out a tooth.
When you attack someone all you're thinking about is inflicting maximum harm. I think that qualifies.


Well, for one thing, it takes a lot of effort to sever someone's finger (or other body part). You can't do it with a knife or a pair of household scissors. I just ain't that easy. You need a pair of gardne shears or something. If you take the time to make a PLAN to go and get the shears, sneak back in to wherever he is, and then cut his finger off? Yes, of course.
Fine then, a blow that fractures his finger in a permanent way?


Besides all that, why are you going to do time/die for the bitch that cheated on you anyway? File for divorce on grounds and take all the money, and let the new guy pay for her shoe habit.
Yes and at a time like that everyone thinks rationaly...


20 points doesn't sound like much....but when you are increasing EVERYONE'S IQ by 20 points, sure, you're bring the low end up to normal...but what about the high end?
The high end is over 200. Those extra 20 help the stupid more than the smart.


There are so many unknown consequences of actually raising intelligence...there are theories out there that postulate that intelligence is inversely related to compassion, for instance.
Which is IMHO a very stupid theory. I also bet it's yet to achieve widespread acceptance.


In addition, a raise like that across the board would drastically reduce the difficulty of solving the problems facing humanity, and remove a lot of the challenging aspects of life.
There are always a lot of challenges in life. Solving some just makes more. And btw most of the challenge comes from social interaction which in turn depend a lot on lying.

Combined with some of the changes I've already decided to make, it could prove disasterous.
Sounds more like a problem with your changes.


No, I wouldn't be God. I'd be a man with god-like powers. A small difference, it's true, but man is fallible, while God is not..
Rather unrelated to my point I feel.


Even if I had the power of God, I could never be god, because I could make mistakes - some of which might prove irreversible, even with all my power.
They're only irreversable if you're really stupid. In which case you should probably remove your godly power or grant yourself an IQ boost.


No, no it's not. One is simply better access to, and retention of, raw information. The other is a radical change in the makeup of your mind and thought processes.
:smallconfused:
Radical change? 90 to 110 is a radical change?:smallconfused:
Even if it was why not make it so the people who are born have an IQ 20 points higher?


Having access to the whole internet does not make you any better at solving problems, or creative thinking, or synthesis of information. It just makes it easier to research things.
Ummm, actualy it does definitely help at the first. Give me a brain link to wikipedia and I'll never ever fail a physics or maths exam.
99% of problems could be solved like this.


1. Even with the power of a god, screwing with the past is a bad idea. Any changes I made could possibly result in me never existing in the first place, or worse, an altogether different me ending up with cosmic power, and becoming my rival, even if I secured myself against the possible effects of aa self-correcting timestream. It's a whole can of worms, I for one, am too smart to screw with.
Too smart? LOL!
Don't you know that that's the worst theory of time travel out there?
This one mightn't be considered "real" time travel but works for all practical purposes and no paradoxes exist:
"Use your god powers to reverse the direction of every particle in the universe. Once the event you want to change has been reached restore the normal flow of time and change it."
It's amazing how few people have actualy thought about time travel and how it would work.


Or to put it another way: "What has happened has happened, and couldn't have happened any other way,"
Hence a better method of time travel.


2. There are some hypotheses that state that the inclination toward murder, rape, and child molestation/abuse that many convicted criminals feel is due to an improper balance of chemicals in the brain, combined with the environment they were raised in. So I'd A. Have to completely rebuild them from the ground up. B. Completely rebuild and reprogram their parents from the ground up and C. Completely rebuild and reprogram their grandparents from the ground up.....and so on and so on...at which point the person that they were before never existed, so it's like you killed them anyway.
You know what a hypothesis is, right?
It's a theory. One that hasn't been tested. I also see you said "many". So why not help the


Of course, this means I'd be screwing with time again, which, as I said before, I'm entirely too smart to do.
One of the most obvious signs of stupidity is claiming you're smart (I'm not saying you just did, just warning you). You've also called my ideas "not-smart"...


3. I'm not perfect. I can make mistakes. I'm not god, just a really, really powerful human. Any possibility of a mistake that would strip me of my power is to be avoided at all costs: because, if I lose the power, then I can't fix the mistake. Duh.
Use your omnipotence to pull off a monty-pun trick.
Or just make it so that you'll never lose your power. "I use my omnipotence to make it so my power cannot be removed." Add a few other things and you're done.


Lies aren't necessary...and if you really want to lie, wear a hat. Death sentences are not for everybody, just everybody that breaks certain laws, that, in many cases, would cause their deaths or long prison terms if they were convicted in any case. All I'm doing is removing the need for a long and expensive trial, and a long and expensive (and generally ineffective) prison term.
Lies are very important to how society functions. With the removal of them and allowing unlimited internet access conversations are going to be scarce.
Wouldn't a "reforming machine" be more effective?
Most people disagree with your sentencing:
Countries with the death sentence: 24
Countries without the death sentece: 200+
Number of people executed outside china:800
Number of murders, rapes, permanent harm crimes ect in those countries: Lots.

Of course you're so much smarter than all of them...


I don't have an understanding of particle physics, and I suspect, neither do you.
I'm a physics student.

What I do know is this: you can't even OBSERVE a particle in an experiment without screwing the whole thing up.
What part of omnipotence are you having trouble understanding?
Temporarily create a heisenberg particle. You can remove it again before someone notices and has to reright the laws of physics.


Oh and as regards TV - I have no direct experience with time travel and neither does anyone else. THere is no scientific evidence currently available, and certainly no laws or even theories available, only hypotheses.
Check out the above method of time travel. It would work perfectly but can only be pulled off by an omnipotent and/or extra-universal being.
Yes it only uses known physics.
psst: You will have to freeze the universe and temporarily modify the weak nuclear force before you start.
But why are we even talking about this? You can simply use your omnipotence to state that no paradoxes occur and that the new you doesn't have omnipotence.

[Count D20]

You all are doing this wrong. I meant to have a thread with people screwing with the human race in an amusing way ,not trying to fix everything.
Act like a person who does it for the lulz,not a responsible human being.
do the sort of things that would have awful consequences,but would be damn funny.Actually, the can't lie thing would qualify if it was more dramatic.
"Does this make my butt look big?"
"No, your gigantic twopigs in a spandex sack rear makes itself look big."
also, the power level wasn't that high. Wiki the characters I mentioned, especially the doctor for an idea of what I'm saying.

[ravenkith]

Such a cunning argument.

Fine. I'll explain why you are wrong.

First: Rape is rape.

There is no 'good rape' or 'bad rape'. Something is either a rape or it is not.

Second: If you are going to punish one rapist, then you should punish all rapists: there is no excuse for such behavior. Consistent application of the rules is required, otherwise you're nothing more than a hypocrit.

One of the biggest problems in terms of crime and punishment, is that the law is not applied consistently: depending on who the judge is, you might get a fine or probation or 10 years prison sentence for the same crime in the same legal system.

Such an approach is counter-productive at best.



Ok, it's settled. You know nothing about culture and how it means people are *gasp* different!
The girls where I live mature much earlier than the american girls I've met both physicaly and emotionaly. They're as emotionaly mature as an 18 year old american at 15.


Actually I know a lot about a lot of different cultures. It's just that culture doesn't play into it. It's a simple logic tree.

1. Given that, generally, children are physically smaller and therefore weaker than adults,and less mentally mature (in general) than adults, it is clear (to me, at least) that there ought to be rules in place in order to protect them from being taken advantage of sexually.
2. In order for a rule to be effective, it must be meaningful.
3. In order for a rule to be meaningful, it must have serious consequences when broken.
4. There is no more serious consequence than death.

HOWEVER: the rule can't be too harsh. This is why I chose the Texas ruleset for regulating inter-age sex.

Keep in mind that if your 16 year old friend were to get with anyone between the ages of 14 and 18, the rule wouldn't come into effect...and at the age of 17, she's no longer subject to the rule at all.

In most cases, anyone under the age of 14 is medically not fit for sexual intercourse according to the most recent research...and certainly shouldn't be bearing a child, due to health risks to both mother and fetus. Of course this varies with diet, excercise and individuals, but works as a rule of thumb.

Now this basically means that from when a child is physically ready to have intercourse, the law is only protecting them for three years.

If you can't wait three years for sex, then you probably shouldn't be doing it with the kid in the first place (i.e., you never really cared about them anyways).



You do realise how you get experience right? You managed to undermine your own argument.


The inexperience I was referring to was in terms of wisdom in the way the world works, and in terms of adult relationships in general, not in terms of physical intimacy.

Contrary to popular opinion, it IS possible to have a relationship with someone without screwing their brains out.



Umm...
I'd appreciate it is you didn't just skim my posts. I'm friends with the 16 year old I've only ever seen her ex-boyfriend once.


You didn't specify. Since you described the 16 year old as 'a friend', and the 20 year old as 'a boyfriend of your friend', then I assumed he would have been your friend too, since, y'know, generally that's the way things work. At least where I am.



Again, depends on the person. Some people I know regret having sex so early, others just consider it a fun time in their life.


I'm curious: is there a correlation between those who feel that 'it was just fun' and those who didn't contract an STD, get pregnant, or end up throwing away their future?



btw: The much lower age of consent here means I know quite a few "victims" of your definition of statutory rape.


So what? It's not really the victims I'm interested in, but the perpetrators. The victims may never realize they were victimized.



Isolated case where you live but here people often solve their problems outside the law.


Well, that probably means the law is inadequate, then.



Heh, he was cut up quite a bit (apparently he has quite a few scars) but I don't think he'll try again. Death due to raping someone is not that uncommon.


Oh, so then my rules wouldn't necessarily change all that much if they were put into effect in your country?



You don't live here and don't know how people react. Gossip is the national sport for women and this is a fairly small city.


Your home is not everywhere. These rules are for everywhere. In larger cities, or in countries where people can easily move cities, it would be much harder for your brand of justice to work.



Ah, a new word.


Well, it's there in the unedited original....so....I guess you must mean it's new to you. It IS kind of an important word in the sentence, isn't it?



An immigrant from where? Definitely not latin america.
Texas laws are far harsher than most others.


From Europe.

...and texas law is not nearly as harsh as German, Islamic, or Chinese law.



When you attack someone all you're thinking about is inflicting maximum harm. I think that qualifies.


Yes, if you are deliberately assaulting them with the aim of doing permenant damage.

On the other hand, in a drunken brawl, you aren't really 'planning' anything, just reacting. Knocking out a tooth in those circumstances, or in a sporting match, wouldn't count.

If you are defending yourself, then your focus is usually on protecting yourself, or temporarily disabling your opponent to get away.

So what we are saying is that my rule would cause those people who are deliberately attacking others, looking to cause permenant damage, into the sun?

Good. That's what I was going for.



Fine then, a blow that fractures his finger in a permanent way?


Depends. Were you planning on doing that permanent damage?



Yes and at a time like that everyone thinks rationaly...


That's my point exactly. You are far more likely to run up to the guy and punch him in the nuts than you are to run out to garden shed and get a pair of shears, if you are 'acting in a rage'. One will likely do permenant harm, the other is usually survivable and healable.

On the other hand, you MIGHT go to a nightstand, grab a gun and shoot both of them...but that'd be a manslaughter rap easy,and thats anywhere from 15 to 40 years in prison regardless (might as well be dead).



The high end is over 200. Those extra 20 help the stupid more than the smart.


You're stuck in the little picture. High end people tend to work together in places like research labs...so they'd actually have more direct impact on humanity's progress than any number of lower-level thinkers.



Which is IMHO a very stupid theory. I also bet it's yet to achieve widespread acceptance.


In the absence of evidence, all theories are equally valid. Isn't that a founding principle of science...?



There are always a lot of challenges in life. Solving some just makes more. And btw most of the challenge comes from social interaction which in turn depend a lot on lying.


I feel sad for you. I promise you, it is not necessary to lie in order to interact with other people. You should try it some time. You'll feel better about yourself.



Sounds more like a problem with your changes.


That's a prime example of circular logic, and therefore is going to be ignored.



Rather unrelated to my point I feel.

They're only irreversable if you're really stupid. In which case you should probably remove your godly power or grant yourself an IQ boost.


In response, let me ask you a question: is it possible for god to make a rock so heavy that even he cannot lift it?



:smallconfused:
Radical change? 90 to 110 is a radical change?:smallconfused:
Even if it was why not make it so the people who are born have an IQ 20 points higher?


Actually yes. It is a high degree of change for the human race as a whole. This is a little picture/big picture thing again.



Ummm, actualy it does definitely help at the first. Give me a brain link to wikipedia and I'll never ever fail a physics or maths exam.
99% of problems could be solved like this.


Oy. Ok, so if I give you a weblink to a high school biology text, you'll instantly be able to take all of the information in it and perform brain surgery...?

Build a nuclear bomb with access to a high school physics text?



Too smart? LOL!
Don't you know that that's the worst theory of time travel out there?


Yes. I am not an advanced theoretical physics student.

The last physics class I took was in high school.

Therefore, I am smart enough to recognize when I don't know enough about something to rely upon it.



This one mightn't be considered "real" time travel but works for all practical purposes and no paradoxes exist:

"Use your god powers to reverse the direction of every particle in the universe. Once the event you want to change has been reached restore the normal flow of time and change it."

It's amazing how few people have actualy thought about time travel and how it would work.

Hence a better method of time travel.

You know what a hypothesis is, right?
It's a theory. One that hasn't been tested. I also see you said "many". So why not help the


I'd like to point out that you offer one of many theories up on how time travel would work (even if it's the most likely theory), holding it up as a law (which it's not, because as you say in your description, it's impossible to test).

Then go on to mock me for basing my decisions on various different hypotheses.



One of the most obvious signs of stupidity is claiming you're smart (I'm not saying you just did, just warning you). You've also called my ideas "not-smart"...


I am pretty smart. I've got the double degrees from an accredited 1st-world university and the IQ score to prove it, thanks.

I'm also intelligent enough to realize that I do not know everything, and I can, have, and will make mistakes. It's inevitable.



Use your omnipotence to pull off a monty-pun trick.
Or just make it so that you'll never lose your power. "I use my omnipotence to make it so my power cannot be removed." Add a few other things and you're done.
[quote]

Even as a god-like being, it would take a lot of effort to protect yourself from every possible contingency. Why risk it? Just fix things going forward.

[quote]
Lies are very important to how society functions. With the removal of them and allowing unlimited internet access conversations are going to be scarce.
[quote]

I disagree. Knowing some can't lie to your face? In person-conversations would be more popular than ever.

[quote]
Wouldn't a "reforming machine" be more effective?


I prefer to try to inspire the desire to be better. Change from the inside is always better and longer-lasting than change imposed from without.



Most people disagree with your sentencing:
Countries with the death sentence: 24
Countries without the death sentece: 200+
Number of people executed outside china:800
Number of murders, rapes, permanent harm crimes ect in those countries: Lots.

Of course you're so much smarter than all of them...


How many of those 200 countries impose harsh (10+) prison sentences instead of putting people to death for the types of crimes I'm trying to crack down on?

If you are locking someone up for long periods of time, keep in mind that with the pace of modern technology, by the time he gets out, he will probably be unable to perform the job he was performing before he went in, assuming he can even get one as an ex-con associated with these kinds of crimes.

Then there is the social stigmata associated with such crimes that exists in many nations. In many cases, whatever family and friends he has will either desert him, or be left behind as part of the individual's parole.

Add in the cost to house and feed that individual for the length of the prison term...and the likelihood that he will be made to suffer tremendously on the inside.

Isn't it far more humane, instead of taking their life from them by bits and pieces, to ddo it all at once, without the added pain?



I'm a physics student.


Good for you. When you've built a time machine and documented all of your research, be sure to let me take a look at it so I can take advantage of it when I get cosmic power (which will probably happen right about the same time you complete your experiments).



What part of omnipotence are you having trouble understanding?
Temporarily create a heisenberg particle. You can remove it again before someone notices and has to reright the laws of physics.


Oh no, I get it. I just don't want to have to work that hard. :P

Besides, mankind needs to maintain enough of a killer instinct to defend itself, but not too much so that it rips itself apart.

It's a delicate balancing act...one that seems to be just a little on the 'rips itself apart side' than I'd like, but the changes I've already made should deal with that going forward.



Check out the above method of time travel. It would work perfectly but can only be pulled off by an omnipotent and/or extra-universal being.
Yes it only uses known physics.
psst: You will have to freeze the universe and temporarily modify the weak nuclear force before you start.
But why are we even talking about this? You can simply use your omnipotence to state that no paradoxes occur and that the new you doesn't have omnipotence.

1. I like my life. I don't want anyone else living it.
2. I don't have an operational knowledge of hyper-time physics, and therefore, I'm not making any plans based on it. What's hard to understand about that?

[Jolly Steve]

Surely that should be 'the power cosmic?'

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9d/Galactus1.JPG/278px-Galactus1.JPG

Anyway, my answer is that I'd make an object so big that I couldn't move it.

[Selrahc]

...and texas law is not nearly as harsh as German, Islamic, or Chinese law.

German law is 14(Basically) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe#Germany
Chinese is 14 to do everything except prostitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Asia#China_.28PRC.29
"Islamic" is not a country. Although some countries which have Islam as a majority religion do have higher ages of consent(e.g. Kazakhstan, Turkey), while others have lower (e.g. Uzbekistan, Yemen).

As a whole the majority of the world puts the age of consent rather lower than Texas does. Age of consent ranges from 12 to 18, with the most common figures being 14, 15 and 16.

17 is by no means a low figure in comparison with the rest of the world.

[ravenkith]

I was referring to the entire body of laws for those countries as compared to those of texas/the US.

In addition I know that Islam is not a country, but there are a set of islamic laws, tied to the religion, that many middle eastern countries subscribe to.

I should point out that the texas law also establishes an exception to the age of 17: the fact that the law doesn't apply to those individuals who are within two years of age....which means that really, the law is designed to prevent older people from taking advantage of younger people.

[Selrahc]

I was referring to the entire body of laws for those countries as compared to those of texas/the US.

Then why were you responding to a point about how Texas law had harsher laws regarding age of consent?



I think my friend above would disagree. You'd also have to standardize age of consent across the globe and I bet that means enforcing your Texan view of the world on everyone else. Yikes.

Someone has to set a standard. The Texas rules are more lenient than some, harsher than others. In my opinion it's a good balance. I say this as an immigrant to the US, so I've had exposure to multiple sets of laws...and you have to draw the line somewhere, and it has to be meaningful. <shrug>.

An immigrant from where? Definitely not latin america.
Texas laws are far harsher than most others.

...and texas law is not nearly as harsh as German, Islamic, or Chinese law.


If you weren't talking about consent laws, then why did you bring it up? The entire strand of conversation had been about age of consent, to suddenly say "China and Germany have really harsh legal systems outside of age of consent" is a total non sequitur.



I should point out that the texas law also establishes an exception to the age of 17: the fact that the law doesn't apply to those individuals who are within two years of age....which means that really, the law is designed to prevent older people from taking advantage of younger people.

But is still much harsher than the laws in most countries. And is entirely based on the moral standards and culture of texas.

[GoC]

ravenkith: I lack both the time (slow typing speed) and the inclination to continue this debate with you.
I shall merely rest secure in the knowledge that you will never attain ultimate power or any sort of power whatsoever.
But before I leave a couple of comments:

In response, let me ask you a question: is it possible for god to make a rock so heavy that even he cannot lift it?
Cosmic power is control over the physical universe. That doesn't include making logical paradoxes.

You need to educate yourself. Try reading the wikipedia article called "The Arrow of Time". While not a complete account it's good enough for this purpose. And google Pun-Pun. You're looking for the monty trick.

[ravenkith]

Selrahc (Charles): My emphasis has always been on the big picture...and in any case, if you actually read the German rules, they are quite stringent, with no built in exceptions whatsoever.



Whoever commits sexual acts on a person under fourteen (14) years of age (a child) or allows them to be committed on himself by the child, shall be punished by imprisonment from six months to ten years [...]"


So a fifteen year old shtupping a 14 year old could theoretically go to jail for ten years.

Furthermore, if a complaint is made, the law actually extends to 16.

The Chinese laws actually extend to 24 on the books for females, but in practice anything beyond 14 is used mainly for trying prostitution cases. So technically, 14 is the age of consent, you are right about that.

Again, no exceptions, so that poor sucker who just turned 15 with the 14 year old girlfriend is really in trouble. Chinese courts tend to be fairly harsh and unforgiving, from what I understand.

While many nations DO have ages of consent around the 15 year old mark, most of them don't build in exceptions to keep people of a similar age from falling victim to the law.

THAT is the harshness of the law that I was talking about.

GOC
Ah. Time and inclination, eh? Certainly seemed to have enough of both before, but I suppose that's beside the point. In any case, I will respond to what, it seems, will be your final points.

1. I have read Pun-Pun. I was there when Khan invented it on the Wizop boards.

2. I read the Terminator, which was the response to Pun-pun, that involved time travel, and that was proven not to work as regards it's initial purpose.

I assume this is the model you are holding up as your exemplar, mainly because I can't be bothered to go look up a fictional character in a fictional universe, using fictional rules of reality, that you are attempting to use as a means to prove/explain time travel in the real universe.

3. I am a highly educated individual, thank you very much, having two university degrees to my name. It just so happens that temporal physics was not one of the subjects I studied. Since I don't know anything about that particular subject, and don't really want to waste my time on something that seems much like cold fusion, in that it seems hypothetically possible, but practically impossible, I shan't include it in any plans that I will be making.

If you saw a big red button in an otherwise empty room, with no idea of what it did, would you push it?

Well, I wouldn't.

4. Some advice, for future reference and in aid of helping you get your degree:

A key point to remember whenever doing research - While Wikipedia is a good resource for ideas and leads, since it is freely editable by all and any who wish it, it is unreliable as a source of information at best.

You would do well not to trust everything you read on wikis.

Furthermore, to my knowledge, Wikis are not acceptable as resources on which to base an academic paper, precisely for that reason. In fact, unless a website has .edu or .gov on the end of it's URL, chances are you'll be told to find another source altogether.

Why? Because the internet rarely has fact checkers, while most authoritative published material almost always does. In addition, a website can be changed or gone altogether overnight, while a printed book, magazine or other physical medium usually has an exemplar copy in the library of congress.

5. All of the information on the page you referred me to is hypothetical and unproven. While Occam's razor states that the simplest explanation is the likeliest, and these do seem fairly simple, there are exceptions to the rule.

Yes, I am highly unlikely to gain cosmic power, ultimate or otherwise. However, this is a thread about what you might do if you did get it.

Some would squander it, many would use it for nefarious purposes, and a few would try to make the world a better place, based on the results from this thread...

I am in that latter category, one of the few who would try to improve the world.

Think about the comic book 'The Authority'. Swift, The Doctor, Jack Hawksmoore, and all the rest.

Realize that while they make mistakes, while they sometimes take a step in the wrong direction (taking over the US, for example), all they are trying to do is make things better: make sure that the people on the top of the mountain are accountable to someone.

Think about the comic book 'The Boys'. A group of clandestine operatives who wander the world keeping those in power in line. Making sure they don't abuse that power and destroy the everyday folk who have no choice but to follow their lead.

Think about the comic book 'Watchmen'. Adrian Veidt, (Ozymandias). Was he wrong?

If someone you loved had a gun to their head, and you were told to kill someone or your loved one would die, what would you do?

What would you do if someone or something was threatening the whole world?

Would you pull the trigger? Would you fight? Or would you hide in a hole and wait for someone else to save you?

Many of us are never faced with hard moral/ethical choices.

Many of us never will be.

But if you ever DID, somehow, end up with the power of a god...well. You'd have to have iron will, a clear agenda, and a goal to work towards in order to not turn out as the biggest disaster to befall mankind of all time.

Because you'd face those kinds of choices every single day.

They say that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It would be so easy to become irresistable to all women, and wander the world just making love to whoever you wished, with them powerless to say no.

It would be easy to install yourself as the sole authority on this planet, with anyone who opposed you struck down in an instant.

But just because you have the power to do something, doesn't mean you should.

Goc, for instance: Imagine, if you will, if you went back and turned Hitler into a fuzzy poodle as opposed to the totalitarian dictator he became. What would be the consequences of that act?

Well, first, a large portion of Europe would most likely have never been rebuilt after WWI. The only reason that Germany is a viable country today is because Hitler rebuilt the country as part of his rise to power, had it shattered again, and then had it rebuilt by third parties.

Second, war most likely never have been fought. The millions of people that died on the battle field wouldn't have. The millions (11, at last count, based off of death camp records) who died in Auschwitz and the like, wouldn't have.

The ones who were taken into the forest and were shot wouldn't have been.

So now, uptime, you've got probably (quick guess) 25 million more people in Europe. Plus all of their descendants, which as you know, explode at an exponential rate.

So now you probably have problems with poverty, from Germany never being rebuilt, overcrowding, due to the millions of new people introduced into an already packed situation, unemployment, from the excess of laborers, and an education crisis from the lack of sufficient schools. ACROSS ALL OF EUROPE.

That's just the OBVIOUS consequences. Then there are food shortages, insufficient city infrastructures, etc. etc. etc.

Plus, if there are 25 million plus people in the world more than before, who ends up with whom? Did you just cause millions of people to cease to exist? I think you did!

No war brides. No American economic buildup. No rocket programs. No intercontinental ballistic missiles, no 50 year forced 'peace' via cold war.

This is merely one aspect of what I mean when I say that screwing with time travel is a bad idea.

Keep in mind that all of this fallout is from ONE CHANGE. You are proposing thousands, millions, from across the entire spectrum of humanity.

Yes, you CAN solve all of those problems with your power...but in effect, you are only switching one set of problems for another, ad nauseum. Far better to simply adress problems as they come up, moving forward.

[GoC]

GOC
Ah. Time and inclination, eh? Certainly seemed to have enough of both before, but I suppose that's beside the point. In any case, I will respond to what, it seems, will be your final points.
It's exam week starting tomorrow. And I realised I am probably mis-using my time so this post is going to be short.


1. I have read Pun-Pun. I was there when Khan invented it on the Wizop boards.

2. I read the Terminator, which was the response to Pun-pun, that involved time travel, and that was proven not to work as regards it's initial purpose.
There is a seperate trick involving the creation of an a copy of Pun-Pun in a timeless plane.


I assume this is the model you are holding up as your exemplar, mainly because I can't be bothered to go look up a fictional character in a fictional universe, using fictional rules of reality, that you are attempting to use as a means to prove/explain time travel in the real universe.
No, they're two seperate possibilities completely unrelated to eachother.


3. I am a highly educated individual, thank you very much, having two university degrees to my name. It just so happens that temporal physics was not one of the subjects I studied. Since I don't know anything about that particular subject, and don't really want to waste my time on something that seems much like cold fusion, in that it seems hypothetically possible, but practically impossible, I shan't include it in any plans that I will be making.
It is however very relevant and practically possible once you aquire infinite power.
What are your degrees in?
Not one of the hard sciences, right?


If you saw a big red button in an otherwise empty room, with no idea of what it did, would you push it?
I'd look at the blue button besides it that does the same thing and has a manual. I've made a little ASCII graph at the end of this post.


A key point to remember whenever doing research - While Wikipedia is a good resource for ideas and leads, since it is freely editable by all and any who wish it, it is unreliable as a source of information at best.
Read what I post please:
me- "While not a complete account it's good enough for this purpose."


Furthermore, to my knowledge, Wikis are not acceptable as resources on which to base an academic paper, precisely for that reason. In fact, unless a website has .edu or .gov on the end of it's URL, chances are you'll be told to find another source altogether.
Do not mock my intelligence.


5. All of the information on the page you referred me to is hypothetical and unproven. While Occam's razor states that the simplest explanation is the likeliest, and these do seem fairly simple, there are exceptions to the rule.
Wait, "all the information"? I'd recommend against generalizing like that as you'll almost always be wrong.
Just use the laws of physics and see what happens if you reverse the direction of every particle. Just do it! It isn't hard. Just requires a little bit of thinking.


I am in that latter category, one of the few who would try to improve the world.
Sadly most people would hate living in such a world.


Think about the comic book 'The Authority'. Swift, The Doctor, Jack Hawksmoore, and all the rest.
Can't get comic books where I live.


Many of us are never faced with hard moral/ethical choices.
Me and most other people on the planet go by the principle that only your own happiness matters. Of course other people being happy is nice so I help them too.


Goc, for instance: Imagine, if you will, if you went back and turned Hitler into a fuzzy poodle as opposed to the totalitarian dictator he became. What would be the consequences of that act?
Why would I do that? I'd just make the allies not punish Germany much (or very very harshly and back it up with tanks) for WW1 so that Hitler never rises to power and WW2 never happens.
And before that I'd make germany fight a bit longer so the german people aren't left feeling betrayed.
As a result the europeon powers aren't weakened as much, keep most of their colonies and the cold war never happens.
btw: Godwin's law.


Well, first, a large portion of Europe would most likely have never been rebuilt after WWI.
Why?
Did Hitler help rebuild Poland? And France? Couldn't a competent leader have risen in Germany?


Plus, if there are 25 million plus people in the world more than before, who ends up with whom? Did you just cause millions of people to cease to exist? I think you did!
And I created even more millions of people. Would I be guilty of murder if I then undid my change to the timeline?
The answer?
Time travel makes morals and ethics meaningless as consequences don't exist.


This is merely one aspect of what I mean when I say that screwing with time travel is a bad idea.
Don't like the result? Go back and change it until you get a world you like.


Yes, you CAN solve all of those problems with your power...but in effect, you are only switching one set of problems for another, ad nauseum. Far better to simply adress problems as they come up, moving forward.
There are only a finite number of problems and each configuration of the universe has a different number of them. I just find the one with fewest (or none) problems.
And where are you getting the idea that everything creates more problems then it solves? That cannot be true.

Here's a graph of your idea of time:


| --
| --
| --
apparent | --
time* | --
| --
| --
|--
|______________________
The sequence of events**

*time as in cakes not unbaking, people not walking backwards ect.
**AKA casualty

Here's what happens applying the above time travel method:


|
|
|
apparent | --
time* | -- --
| -- --
| -- --
|-- --
|______________________
The sequence of events**

*time as in cakes not unbaking, people not walking backwards ect.
**AKA casualty

Note how casualty isn't violated and there are no paradoxes?

[Hectonkhyres]

One issue with timetravel is that, once you decide to go back and start fixing problems, where do you stop? After you prevent WWII, why not go back and prevent WWI? Or stop the crusades or prevent the dark ages or make the rise of Rome a more peaceful one. Pretty soon you find yourself three million years in the past trying to teach homo erectus how to weave baskets... and you have managed to unweave the whole of the world as you knew it. Now whatever new world you come up with might be just as good, if not better, but it won't be your world.

If you are going to play like that, I suggest you use your divine powers to make a photocopy universe based on ours at some early date and go screw with the copy. As screwed up as this universe is, I would really rather not be unmade for the sake of making utopia.

[ravenkith]

A bunch of stuff.

1. You're right, you'd be better off studying than indulging in amusing internet debates.

2. Not once did I question your intelligence. I'm not sure how long you have been going to university, and a common mistake that many new students make when writing for academia is not questioning their sources, which they usually find out about after the grades have been handed out.

3. I never questioned Wiki's completeness (mostly because it almost never is), but rather it's reliability. Because anyone with an internet connection can get online and edit most wikipedia articles, they are all inherently worthless in terms of academia, because the people who compose such articles may or may not have adequate qualifications to be considered an authority on the subject, and usually, there is no way of telling for sure.

4. My degrees are in English and Communication Studies. As part of my courses, I took biology, chemistry and astronomy for my hard science credits. Physics has never been one of my strong suits, despite getting a 'B' in AP physics in high school.

I also have an extensive background in IT, debate, and philosophy, among other things, if you care.

In any case, as you describe yourself as a student, and therefore most likely have yet to earn your degree, I hardly think it right you look down on any degree, regardless of what that degree happens to be in.

5. I'll restate: replace "All of the information" with "All of the hypotheses..."

Furthermore, as I recall there are very, very few laws of physics. There are many, many hypotheses and theories.

This means there is a great deal of room for error.

6. Godwin's law has already been broken by someone else here, as I pointed out earlier.

In this case, I was using Hitler as an example of a key figure in history who most people wouldn't object to messing around with, but basically everyone would be familiar with, and would have some idea of the key events surrounding his tenure on this earth.

Your analysis of the situation leaves much to be desired.

The complexity of the causes of WWII is not to be underestimated: For instance, part of the primary causes for WWI and WWII was access to natural resources, including rubber, oil, and steel, that Germany, Japan and Italy felt they didn't have enough of.

You have failed to account for many of the contributing factors that lead to war.

Plus, my point is that, when messing with the past, all you are really doing is creating more work for yourself: getting bogged down in things that have next to no net positive results.



Why?
Did Hitler help rebuild Poland? And France? Couldn't a competent leader have risen in Germany?


Actually, Hitler's military domination of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austro-Hungary and France was directly responsible for the eventual modernization and general upgrading of the economic bases of those country's as well as Germany's and Japan's.

If he had never invaded, Japan would never have attacked Pearl Harbor. The atomic bombs would never have been dropped, and as a result, the world would most likely never have been divided into 'spheres of influence' during the following cold war, and the countries in question may well have been left to rot.

Furthermore, the rise of the UN was a direct result of the two World Wars.

As to the rise of a different, yet still competent (read: strong & effective) leader rising in Germany - they'd been trying for the entire time between 1918 and 1933.

Fifteen years of struggles between minor political parties within a political system in dire need of extensive overhaul, during which those who ended up 'in power' never enjoyed enough of a majority to get much of anything done.

Looking at the idea of altering the past through the use of time travel (regardless of the kind used), well the massive scope of even a single change (of admittedly great magnitude) is just awe-inspiring, and strikes me as something to be avoided.



Me and most other people on the planet go by the principle that only your own happiness matters. Of course other people being happy is nice so I help them too.

Time travel makes morals and ethics meaningless as consequences don't exist.


These quotes disturb me greatly, as they demonstrates a certain lack of empathy for your fellow man, and, as such, might indicate a psychotic personality on the edge of breakdown.

If you no longer consider those around you of at least equal value to yourself, it begs the question: what wouldn't you do to put yourself forward at the cost of another, as long as you thought you could get away with it?

To quote a well-known little green man: "Down that path lies the dark side," and, to be honest, it's the one thing that anyone has said that has really given me the heebie-jeebies since this whole thread started.

Not because it's worse than say, blowing up the world (which, I can only hope was thrown about in a joking manner) but because it was so casually tossed off without a second thought.

It's clearly what you really feel.

[Mattarias, King.]

Here's the thing though- Is this cosmic power phenomenal?

That's all I want to know.

[Count D20]

All you people arguing, you find yourselves taking a wrong turn walking along a street.You find yourselves infornt of a local indie theater.
You are greeted by me. I charm you all in.
Dark side of Oz.
Ice cream, as much as you want.
A good pound of marijuana.
You ever is the small stuff is what causes the big stuff?

[ravenkith]

All you people arguing, you find yourselves taking a wrong turn walking along a street.You find yourselves infornt of a local indie theater.
You are greeted by me. I charm you all in.
Dark side of Oz.
Ice cream, as much as you want.
A good pound of marijuana.
You ever is the small stuff is what causes the big stuff?

First, what I immediately think of when talking about somehow 'acquiring cosmic power' is the infinity gauntlet.

One of the most famous and reprinted comic book stories regarding gaining power, it really is the benchmark for most company-wide crossovers, including the poor writing of characters & lack of research often inherent in such things.

(For crying out loud, Silver surfer is much more powerful than just 'flying fast' - more powerful than most of the other guys on the team, in fact.)

Second: isn't debate exactly what threads like these are supposed to accomplish?

Stimulate a good, lively conversation as people espouse their opinions, and other people respond to those opinions?

Obviously my plan for the universe was controversial, and since it was controversial, it has generated a lot of activity in this thread, as other people respond to it, and offer counter proposals.

Before I posted my radical proposal, this thread consisted primarily of single posts, with no back and forth - it was an intriguing idea, but ultimately, one sided and boring, as people dumped their ideas and left.

As to what's going on at the moment: GOC asked why I wouldn't simply 'fix' things with time travel, and I explained why: 1. I lack an adequate understanding of the physics involved to rely on it, 2. I believe it would be extremely dangerous to myself and others, and 3. I think it would create more problems than it solved.

GOC contended that others don't really matter, only yourself, and that I (or he - whatever) could danger-proof my/himself, both valid, if somewhat amoral, points.

At which point I questioned if he wasn't getting a bit too dark himself, having destroyed way more lives than I would with my 'death for criminals' approach by invoking the Yoda quote.

It's all good natured banter, really....

[GoC]

In any case, as you describe yourself as a student, and therefore most likely have yet to earn your degree, I hardly think it right you look down on any degree, regardless of what that degree happens to be in.
I was not looking down on your degrees (you have a very impressive resumé btw) but noting that you don't sound like a person you deals in the hard sciences and isn't accustomed to the absolute.


Furthermore, as I recall there are very, very few laws of physics. There are many, many hypotheses and theories.
With ultimate power you can make these things solid law.


Your analysis of the situation leaves much to be desired.
Historians readily admit that it's difficult to tell what causes wars and power shifts.


The complexity of the causes of WWII is not to be underestimated: For instance, part of the primary causes for WWI and WWII was access to natural resources, including rubber, oil, and steel, that Germany, Japan and Italy felt they didn't have enough of.
Here's an easy one to solve: free trade.
Found a company on a small, resource rich island (create one if you need to) and have it supply Germany and Japan's need for resources.


Plus, my point is that, when messing with the past, all you are really doing is creating more work for yourself: getting bogged down in things that have next to no net positive results.
That may be your point but you need to explain your arguments for it.
Do you really believe every action gives the same number of good and bad results?



Actually, Hitler's military domination of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austro-Hungary and France was directly responsible for the eventual modernization and general upgrading of the economic bases of those country's as well as Germany's and Japan's.
You've got my attention. Please say more about this. I'm genuinely interested (I've always liked history).


If he had never invaded, Japan would never have attacked Pearl Harbor. The atomic bombs would never have been dropped, and as a result, the world would most likely never have been divided into 'spheres of influence' during the following cold war, and the countries in question may well have been left to rot.
Not sure the spheres of influence helped that much. They would have rebuilt anyway so as to have a market for their goods. Plus without WW2 rebuilding would be so much easier. Weren't they almost completely rebuilt between wars?


Furthermore, the rise of the UN was a direct result of the two World Wars.
That's not exactly a good point as the UN has done very little and can do very little without the support of the mayor powers.


As to the rise of a different, yet still competent (read: strong & effective) leader rising in Germany - they'd been trying for the entire time between 1918 and 1933.
They wouldn't need a very good leader without the harsh punishments of the treaty of Versailles.


Looking at the idea of altering the past through the use of time travel (regardless of the kind used), well the massive scope of even a single change (of admittedly great magnitude) is just awe-inspiring, and strikes me as something to be avoided.
What is so bad about change?:smallconfused:


These quotes disturb me greatly, as they demonstrates a certain lack of empathy for your fellow man, and, as such, might indicate a psychotic personality on the edge of breakdown.

If you no longer consider those around you of at least equal value to yourself, it begs the question: what wouldn't you do to put yourself forward at the cost of another, as long as you thought you could get away with it?
Heh. I knew you'd misinterpret me there as most people do.:smallbiggrin:
Ok, empathy is the thing that causes me to care about others. Basically we care about others because them being happy makes us feel good (due to empathy) and them being sad causes the same in us (same thing).
"Put yourself forward" depends on what you mean. I certainly wouldn't kill someone to get a pay rise even if I could get away with it because such a thing would greatly disturb my concience.
Essentially it's the same thing everyone does just described in a cynical way.

Do you actually believe morals and ethics are still valid once the consequences no longer exist?
In which case if someone went back in time and changed something that caused 10 million people to not exist and 20 million to suddenly appear would you reverse their change?
Is it ok to steal a video game from someone, use it and then go back in time to just before you stole and continue on without stealing?

btw: Have I convinced you that that method of psuedo time travel wouldn't result in paradoxes?

Hectonkhyres: You make a valid point but forget that most people will just fiddle around with the recent past as they won't want to go through all the effort and trouble of making a perfect history. After WW1 and 2 are gone most will just say 'meh' and get on with life.

[Hectonkhyres]

Another point to discuss: Are you concerned only for Earth and its human population or will you use your newfound powers to interfere elsewhere?

The universe is a big place and there are bound to be other things out there you might feel inclined to change. Perhaps fifty lightyears in some random direction there is an alien race currently suffering from their analog of the Christian/Muslim crusades or the Dark Ages or the Holocaust. Do you, an outsider in every conceivable way, feel it your place to make changes to their world?

What if they are doing something truly horrible to your eyes... which is perfectly natural for them. Perhaps they produce a thousand young at a time and proceed to hunt and eat all but the strongest immediately after birth. Perhaps their women inevitably die in childbirth, the children eating their way out. Perhaps they are all born female and turn male later in life, so the males effectively have to rape (and, in the process, kill) small children just to keep the species going.

Now this is nightmarish for us, but for another species it could be just the way of the world. This is their culture, their heritage, and to change them into something more like us would be as horrible in their eyes as it would be for us to be turned into something like them.

Hectonkhyres: You make a valid point but forget that most people will just fiddle around with the recent past as they won't want to go through all the effort and trouble of making a perfect history. After WW1 and 2 are gone most will just say 'meh' and get on with life.
Me, I doubt I would ever do a timejump longer than one day... and that just to fix any screwups I make along the way. Otherwise causality would be ironclad. Anyway, I like the World Wars. They give the world character and taught society some important lessons. Human existence is a process.

But you are an immortal god walking the earth until you eventually take your own life, be that tomorrow or in a hundred trillion years. I have a feeling that, once you bite that piece of forbidden fruit, too many people would be unable to put it down until they do something to horrify themselves. It might not be a whole war they undo in one fell swoop, but tiny corrections would accumulate in someone's hundred trillion year lifespan.

[Super_mad09]

Oh yes, what would i do with cosmic power? START WORLD DOMINATION!!!!:belkar:

[ravenkith]

I think I proved my point. No controversy = no activity. <shrug>.

[HolderofSecrets]

I think I proved my point. No controversy = no activity. <shrug>.

True enough. But most of the activity of this thread came from the hijacking of the thread by four of us with a heavy debate.

[Count D20]

But if you ever DID, somehow, end up with the power of a god...well. You'd have to have iron will, a clear agenda, and a goal to work towards in order to not turn out as the biggest disaster to befall mankind of all time.

Because you'd face those kinds of choices every single day.
from ravenkith

You don't have to fix the world you know.
Given all the difficulties shown, perhaps it would be for the best to just go play.
And how you could enjoy yourself!