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SoylentGreen · May 22, 2007, 06:28 am

I recently attended a workshop where thirty of us were broken into six groups and given a sheet of paper with the following question.

Imagine the following situation is true.
The world is about to be destroyed and there is one space ship capable of carrying five people to another planet where the human race can carry on. You have been given the task of deciding who those five people will be.
Here is a list of twenty people and you must choose five to go on to the ship.

A police officer A doctor A nurse A farmer A mechanic
A pregnant teenager A housewife A businessman A priest
A captain of an ocean liner A soldier A teacher A university student
A child A librarian A cook A veterinarian A engineer
A scientist A bioligist

These people are in the next room and the spaceship is just down the hall. Destruction of the world is imminent, you have 20 minutes to make a decision. You have never met these people and the only information you have about them is what is written above.
Which five people would you choose and why?

Well after a bit of discussion I managed to come up with a rather controversial answer that took a bit to convince the others but in the end I did manage to convince them. When the different groups got together I again had to try and convince the others and although there was a bit of head scratching and disbelief I managed more or less to get most of them to agree.

So I thought I would put this to any of you who might be interested and see what answer you come up with.

fushigi · May 22, 2007, 06:41 am

Well, it'd be nice to know the gender of the people. I wouldn't want to select 5 women and have the rest of human history amount to a sci-fi episode of The L Word.

I'll just assume as least some are women, and choose the really critical three: (1) the doctor, (2) the engineer, and (3) the scientist.

The doctor can provide for the other four's health (and do any job the biologist would have).
The engineer can help them design new living quarters and systems for their convenience, and tinker with the ship (the job the mechanic would have done).
The scientist can test the new worlds they land in / space around them to provide benefits for the crew (and probably knows more than the teacher anyway).

Aside from them, anybody else would just be gravy. It'd be nice to have some young folks there to help those three out, so I guess the other two would be a combination of the pregnant teenager, the child, or the university student.

fushigi

Arawn-ap-Hywel · May 22, 2007, 04:36 pm

Why would anyone want to choose survivors?

Why not refuse and let the species cease to exist?

jose · May 22, 2007, 04:48 pm

Hey this is America, what happened to ME;ME ME

SoylentGreen · May 23, 2007, 03:37 am

Quote:

Hey this is America, what happened to ME;ME ME

Funnily enough that was the answer I gave almost.
My reasoning was:
Taking that the situation was true then certain assumptions can be made.
Firstly it is not possible for 5 people to restart the human race, to small a gene pool. So it would be fair enough to assume that if we had the technology to build a spaceship that can reach another planet then we probably have the technology to have sperm, eggs and artificial wombs to breed a new generation of children.
Then consider the twenty, what can be assumed about them.
Not much really, all I have is there proffesion but that tells me nothing. The doctor might be an quack, the preacher a peadophile, the teenager a glue sniffer with aids and so on. I don't know that they are but I don't know thet aren't either. And I can't ask them.
And if there is a way of breeding a new race which there must be if the purpose is to continue the species then what is really needed is 5 people who are willing and able to raise children.
Well I know I am and I can ask the other 4 at the table and found out they are. So logically we are the best 5 people to go.

Trouble was it wasn't the answer the person who was running the workshop was expecting but hey can you fault the logic?

**Jack** · May 23, 2007, 03:42 am

I'd take at least the most portly. Backup rations. Just in case things get desperate.

SoylentGreen · May 23, 2007, 04:12 am

Ah well if you like veal then I suggest the pregnant girl

Osborn F Enready · May 23, 2007, 04:28 am

I would sabotage the ship, and then tell them what was wrong only if I could go.

rcne · May 23, 2007, 08:53 am

The Pregnant teen (already proven fertile), the housewife (female), the businessman (male) and put the priest out the airlock.

and of course ME. That makes 5 to start, but only 4 may arrive, or 2 women, a businessman eunuch and me.

The species survives.

Compugasm · May 23, 2007, 09:30 am

ANSWER: I'll take the first 4.

Praxius · May 23, 2007, 12:19 pm

Don't leave a decisions like this up to me.... it won't end pretty

First of, I need to know exactly how the Earth is going to be destroyed.

Is it going to emplode/explode?

Is it going to be wiped out due to our sun going Super Nova?

Is there a global nuclear war occuring?

Did the atmosphere of the planet cease to exist?

I kinda need to know why two spaceships for evacuation is the only option.

In real life, you don't get decisions like that thrown right at you.... or it's very rare... there is usually a lot more information supplied to you about a solution. Besides the fact that any of todays spaceships wouldn't even make it to a safe distance from the Earth being destroyed in 20 mins, if you want to make the right decision, you need as much information supplied as possible..... and if those giving you this big decision to make really want the human race to survive, then they best cough up some more information then that.

It's all nice and dandy to want to save the human species, but it's not gonna do you much good if they decide to kill one another, or that they'll all die from the destruction of the Earth in less then 20 mins, or there might be a better solution besides throwing a gruop of humans in a couple of tin cans and hurdle them into space towards nothing at all..... then they die and float in space forever...... congratulations, you just made the human species survive for an addition 3 months.

SoylentGreen · May 23, 2007, 02:11 pm

Quote:

praxius
if you want to make the right decision, you need as much information supplied as possible

Which was the point of the whole exercise.
How many of us make judgements about a person based simply on there title.

Praxius · May 23, 2007, 03:17 pm

I know I wouldn't.... how useful do you think the captian of an ocean liner would be in regards to human survival?

The person supplying the list would certainly not be on my list.

ZNFYRH · May 23, 2007, 03:38 pm

I've seen this before.

The question is asked many ways and is rigged.

I remember them being criminals of some kind, psychos, etc.

SoylentGreen · May 23, 2007, 03:39 pm

Quote:

I know I wouldn't.

Mostly we don't but if your in conversation with someone you don't know and they say they are a doctor we all immediatly make some assumptions about them whereas if they say there a petrol pump attendant at a gas station we might assume something different about them.
And yet the doctor might be a quack and gas jockey have a PHD.
Its human nature to do so but it is an influence we should consider.

Quote:

I've seen this before.
The question is asked many ways and is rigged.
I remember them being criminals of some kind, psychos, etc.

Yea thats the trouble with these things they are rigged to make you think in a certain way, usually there trying to teach a lesson about something. Still they can be fun to play and sometimes you can learn something interesting from them.

Maryjane · May 23, 2007, 03:44 pm

Quote:

Which was the point of the whole exercise.
How many of us make judgements about a person based simply on there title.

I remember this excercise from 9th grade mental health class. The teacher didn't like my responses. I replied that just because someone didn't have a college education, that didn't mean they could not be a productive member of society. She told me I had a chip on my shoulder.

So of course, me being me, I came to class the next day with a block of wood taped to my shoulder.

I don't remember if they called my parents but I do recall being sent immediatly to the principals office.

brien · May 23, 2007, 04:31 pm

No one goes because there is no astronaut to fly the ship. Most Mankind goes down the drain due to a simple oversight. So while you are all arguing over who goes and who stays, I would go and hire someone to pilot the ship and escape with a few playboy bunnies.

Can I have the night canopy now? (From Slaughter House 5)

Praxius · May 23, 2007, 04:57 pm

Quote:

Quote by: SoylentGreen

Mostly we don't but if your in conversation with someone you don't know and they say they are a doctor we all immediatly make some assumptions about them whereas if they say there a petrol pump attendant at a gas station we might assume something different about them.

Ah but see, that's where I can't get involved in such a conversation, because I don't think that way. A job doesn't make you who you are. That Gas guy could have more intelligence and asperations than the doctor.... maybe he just enjoys the job he has, because that's all he wants. He could have a side hobby as a painter, or a rocket scientist.... lifes like that. Meanwhile the Doctor could be more out for personal gains and profit.

I guess in a decision like this, I would have to see their faces.... their eyes.... look at the life they lead in the lines in their faces.... you can see their pain, anger, joy and how they see the world in just how they carry their facial expressions.

^ Is that a perfect system for picking them? Nope.... but it's better then picking them from a list on a page.

Praxius · May 23, 2007, 04:59 pm

Quote:

Quote by: brien

No one goes because there is no astronaut to fly the ship. Most Mankind goes down the drain due to a simple oversight. So while you are all arguing over who goes and who stays, I would go and hire someone to pilot the ship and escape with a few playboy bunnies.

Funny, I kinda figured a shuttle pilot would have been a given.

5010 · May 23, 2007, 06:34 pm

These will allow them to get to the destination:
The ocean liner captain will pilot the ship and provide leadership.
The engineer in case there is a malfunction on the ship.

These will allow them to survive at the destination:
The soldier because they are highly trained and skilled in survival.
The businessman because this is the only one that I am certain is male.
The pregnant teen because this is the only one that I am certain is female.

May 22, 2007, 06:28 am	#1 (permalink) (top)
SoylentGreen Volcanic Erupter Posts: 3,390	If the world was about to be destroyed I recently attended a workshop where thirty of us were broken into six groups and given a sheet of paper with the following question. Imagine the following situation is true. The world is about to be destroyed and there is one space ship capable of carrying five people to another planet where the human race can carry on. You have been given the task of deciding who those five people will be. Here is a list of twenty people and you must choose five to go on to the ship. A police officer A doctor A nurse A farmer A mechanic A pregnant teenager A housewife A businessman A priest A captain of an ocean liner A soldier A teacher A university student A child A librarian A cook A veterinarian A engineer A scientist A bioligist These people are in the next room and the spaceship is just down the hall. Destruction of the world is imminent, you have 20 minutes to make a decision. You have never met these people and the only information you have about them is what is written above. Which five people would you choose and why? Well after a bit of discussion I managed to come up with a rather controversial answer that took a bit to convince the others but in the end I did manage to convince them. When the different groups got together I again had to try and convince the others and although there was a bit of head scratching and disbelief I managed more or less to get most of them to agree. So I thought I would put this to any of you who might be interested and see what answer you come up with.

May 22, 2007, 06:41 am	#2 (permalink) (top)
fushigi Hot Lava Location: Beijing Posts: 2,414	Well, it'd be nice to know the gender of the people. I wouldn't want to select 5 women and have the rest of human history amount to a sci-fi episode of The L Word. I'll just assume as least some are women, and choose the really critical three: (1) the doctor, (2) the engineer, and (3) the scientist. The doctor can provide for the other four's health (and do any job the biologist would have). The engineer can help them design new living quarters and systems for their convenience, and tinker with the ship (the job the mechanic would have done). The scientist can test the new worlds they land in / space around them to provide benefits for the crew (and probably knows more than the teacher anyway). Aside from them, anybody else would just be gravy. It'd be nice to have some young folks there to help those three out, so I guess the other two would be a combination of the pregnant teenager, the child, or the university student. fushigi "What truth endures beneath the flaming stream?" -- A Volcano, Bartolome de Las Casas, Inferno de Marsaya, 1536

May 23, 2007, 03:42 am	#6 (permalink) (top)
Jack formerly Isherwood Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,168	I'd take at least the most portly. Backup rations. Just in case things get desperate. The Forum Rules Radical Atheist Heathen Queer Let's agree to respect each others views, no matter how wrong yours may be. (Ashleigh Brilliant)

May 23, 2007, 04:28 am	#8 (permalink) (top)
Osborn F Enready Principled Observer Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 13,876	I would sabotage the ship, and then tell them what was wrong only if I could go. Petition of Redress of Grievances: http://www.givemeliberty.org/default.htm Canadian Lawsuit Against Their National Banks: http://www.freewebs.com/classaction/ Osborn F. Enready

May 23, 2007, 08:53 am	#9 (permalink) (top)
rcne Moderator/nobody Posts: 1,566	The Pregnant teen (already proven fertile), the housewife (female), the businessman (male) and put the priest out the airlock. and of course ME. That makes 5 to start, but only 4 may arrive, or 2 women, a businessman eunuch and me. The species survives. Live Long and Prosper (Genetics and Capitalism)

May 22, 2007, 04:36 pm	#3 (permalink) (top)
Arawn-ap-Hywel Hot Lava Posts: 1,193	Why would anyone want to choose survivors? Why not refuse and let the species cease to exist?

May 22, 2007, 04:48 pm	#4 (permalink) (top)
jose Volcanic Erupter Location: España Posts: 2,625	Hey this is America, what happened to ME;ME ME

May 23, 2007, 04:12 am	#7 (permalink) (top)
SoylentGreen Volcanic Erupter Posts: 3,390	Ah well if you like veal then I suggest the pregnant girl

May 23, 2007, 09:30 am	#10 (permalink) (top)
Compugasm Son of X51 Location: San Diego Posts: 3,889	ANSWER: I'll take the first 4. Death to Videodrome! Long live The New flesh!

May 23, 2007, 12:19 pm	#11 (permalink) (top)
Praxius Mass'Debator Posts: 4,730	Don't leave a decisions like this up to me.... it won't end pretty First of, I need to know exactly how the Earth is going to be destroyed. Is it going to emplode/explode? Is it going to be wiped out due to our sun going Super Nova? Is there a global nuclear war occuring? Did the atmosphere of the planet cease to exist? I kinda need to know why two spaceships for evacuation is the only option. In real life, you don't get decisions like that thrown right at you.... or it's very rare... there is usually a lot more information supplied to you about a solution. Besides the fact that any of todays spaceships wouldn't even make it to a safe distance from the Earth being destroyed in 20 mins, if you want to make the right decision, you need as much information supplied as possible..... and if those giving you this big decision to make really want the human race to survive, then they best cough up some more information then that. It's all nice and dandy to want to save the human species, but it's not gonna do you much good if they decide to kill one another, or that they'll all die from the destruction of the Earth in less then 20 mins, or there might be a better solution besides throwing a gruop of humans in a couple of tin cans and hurdle them into space towards nothing at all..... then they die and float in space forever...... congratulations, you just made the human species survive for an addition 3 months.

May 23, 2007, 03:17 pm	#13 (permalink) (top)
Praxius Mass'Debator Posts: 4,730	I know I wouldn't.... how useful do you think the captian of an ocean liner would be in regards to human survival? The person supplying the list would certainly not be on my list.

May 23, 2007, 03:38 pm	#14 (permalink) (top)
ZNFYRH Volcanic Erupter Posts: 4,375	I've seen this before. The question is asked many ways and is rigged. I remember them being criminals of some kind, psychos, etc.

May 23, 2007, 04:31 pm	#17 (permalink) (top)
brien Iceberg Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,703	No one goes because there is no astronaut to fly the ship. Most Mankind goes down the drain due to a simple oversight. So while you are all arguing over who goes and who stays, I would go and hire someone to pilot the ship and escape with a few playboy bunnies. Can I have the night canopy now? (From Slaughter House 5) Brien the Iceberg If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. M.T.

May 23, 2007, 06:34 pm	#20 (permalink) (top)
5010 mostly harmless Location: USA Posts: 1,284	These will allow them to get to the destination: The ocean liner captain will pilot the ship and provide leadership. The engineer in case there is a malfunction on the ship. These will allow them to survive at the destination: The soldier because they are highly trained and skilled in survival. The businessman because this is the only one that I am certain is male. The pregnant teen because this is the only one that I am certain is female. - solo (my site)