Re: Epic Clash Round 2 - The Wax Colosseum
05-13-2010, 11:43 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.
Bern rose from his seat, raging at Spender. "You arrogant bastard, get the-"
Greg stepped up next to Bern, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him back down. "Bern, this man is an invited guest, and we shall treat him civilly. In fact, this is an excellent opportunity, so sit down and stay calm."
He turned to Spender. "My apologies. That you had to be asked to enter our mind was unfortunate, but I agree with Eric's decision to make the request. You see, there has been a certain cognitive dissonance among us, and when we are divided evenly on an issue, it can be rather difficult to overcome. In this case, for example, it is our course of action that divides us. Bern and I are of the opinion that we should do what it takes to survive this competition, but Eric and Walt are rather hesitant when it comes to making that effort."
"Making that effort?!", Eric shouted, "You would-"
Spender shot him a sharp glance.
Eric continued, his voice controlled. "They would have us do anything to survive, abandoning all morals in the process."
"I would hardly call it an abandonment of morals," Greg retorted, "our survival is the most moral, the most RIGHT thing that could happen!"
"What?! What makes you more important than anyone else here?!"
"It's simple- numbers. The most optimal outcome is the one in which the most people survive, correct? Well there are ten possible outcomes to this competition. In one, we escape prematurely, which would likely result in the most net survivors. This seems unlikely, however. In another, we all die before we escape. This is, of course, the least desirable option. In the other eight cases, one of the competitors wins and survives. In seven of these, that results in one net survivor. One of them, however, results in four- our survival. We are, as you can see before you, four people, four people who just happen to share a physical form. Four minds, four souls, four consciousnesses. Four people. The sole survival of us, Thomas Packston, results in three more survivals than any other one contestant, making us the most logical choice to survive. It is not greed or selfishness that drives-"
"You are so sure," interrupted Eric. "But what about the future impacts of the survivor? Those must also be considered, certainly?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"For example, Mr. Spender here is some sort of intergalactic secret agent, defending people from evil on a daily basis. Surely his survival would impact millions of lives. But what about us? We are a server technician. Even if we did our job spectacularly, we could never hope to save as many people. So why, then, should it be us and not him?"
Greg stepped up next to Bern, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him back down. "Bern, this man is an invited guest, and we shall treat him civilly. In fact, this is an excellent opportunity, so sit down and stay calm."
He turned to Spender. "My apologies. That you had to be asked to enter our mind was unfortunate, but I agree with Eric's decision to make the request. You see, there has been a certain cognitive dissonance among us, and when we are divided evenly on an issue, it can be rather difficult to overcome. In this case, for example, it is our course of action that divides us. Bern and I are of the opinion that we should do what it takes to survive this competition, but Eric and Walt are rather hesitant when it comes to making that effort."
"Making that effort?!", Eric shouted, "You would-"
Spender shot him a sharp glance.
Eric continued, his voice controlled. "They would have us do anything to survive, abandoning all morals in the process."
"I would hardly call it an abandonment of morals," Greg retorted, "our survival is the most moral, the most RIGHT thing that could happen!"
"What?! What makes you more important than anyone else here?!"
"It's simple- numbers. The most optimal outcome is the one in which the most people survive, correct? Well there are ten possible outcomes to this competition. In one, we escape prematurely, which would likely result in the most net survivors. This seems unlikely, however. In another, we all die before we escape. This is, of course, the least desirable option. In the other eight cases, one of the competitors wins and survives. In seven of these, that results in one net survivor. One of them, however, results in four- our survival. We are, as you can see before you, four people, four people who just happen to share a physical form. Four minds, four souls, four consciousnesses. Four people. The sole survival of us, Thomas Packston, results in three more survivals than any other one contestant, making us the most logical choice to survive. It is not greed or selfishness that drives-"
"You are so sure," interrupted Eric. "But what about the future impacts of the survivor? Those must also be considered, certainly?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"For example, Mr. Spender here is some sort of intergalactic secret agent, defending people from evil on a daily basis. Surely his survival would impact millions of lives. But what about us? We are a server technician. Even if we did our job spectacularly, we could never hope to save as many people. So why, then, should it be us and not him?"