Difficult choice

[Blizzard]

I have built a world-destruction device. And I don't care about my own life. Should I activate it? If so, why? If no, why?

[impulszero]

I have built a world-destruction device. And I don't care about my own life. Should I activate it? If so, why? If no, why?

no. what will u gain from that?

[Blizzard]

Nothing. But I won't gain anything by not doing it either since my own life doesn't matter. I am technically giving a situation here where the outcome of each decision is absolute. I have no motivation to choose either of them, but I have to choose one (from the context of the situation: yes or no). How do I decide which I will take?

[Vell]

Simple: ask yourself the question: you don't care about yourself, but do you care about others?

[impulszero]

Simple: ask yourself the question: you don't care about yourself, but do you care about others?

errr... if u dont value ure own like, how can value any other ???

[King Munkey]

Simple: ask yourself the question: you don't care about yourself, but do you care about others?

errr... if u dont value ure own like, how can value any other ???

Actually I don't think that is really that difficult. You can value someone else's life and not your own. Least I think so.

[Blizzard]

Lol, I knew somebody was gonna ask this. Ok, instead of discussing whether caring about others requires caring about one self, let's extend it: No caring. My mind is filled with apathy and I have decision to make. What do you think now?

[Vell]

so you don't give a flying fuck about them?

fine. do you honestly feel you care enough to lifty your arm to push a button? or if it requires more than that, do you care to go through the work to activate the machine? and if it requires a mere thought, then that is honestly going too far and you're just looking for a way to say 'lul, you can't come up with nothin, lul. lul.'

[Blizzard]

Please, if you wanna rant about me, do it in the other thread. I am trying to discuss something here. Just because nothing came to your mind right now doesn't justify your judging of this thread's purpose (especially since you don't know the purpose yet).

The idea behind this is that I was wondering if caring is a motivation and if there could be motivation if there is no care. Of course it's not as simple as that. I'm trying to spark a thought and a philosophical discussion here. But first I need to lead the readers to the same first conclusion that I made because it's necessary to start the discussion properly.

[impulszero]

Lol, I knew somebody was gonna ask this. Ok, instead of discussing whether caring about others requires caring about one self, let's extend it: No caring. My mind is filled with apathy and I have decision to make. What do you think now?

errr...

no.
why?
no gain.
-my way of thinking

(just i dont think it can be so simple to just yes and no)

[Blizzard]

It is. Either I press the button or I don't. It comes to that and that is the point. There is no choice inbetween.

Also, care to share your thoughts why it might not be just yes or no?

[Vell]

no, no, you misread my post.

the main issue there was, if you don't care, then would you find it pointless to push the button, or not? my concern, was that you'd just continually make the situation more 'careless' as possible solutions came along.

[Blizzard]

No. If you don't push the button, you have made a choice not to push it. Let's ignore the fact that you can pretty much at any moment decide to push the button if you haven't pushed it yet, because it destroys the concept. At one moment in time you have to decide whether to push it or not. And that's it. After that there is no change of decision anymore.

[Vell]

I'm not getting this. I really feel like it's just a situation wher eyou're going to repeatedly ask the same question. I'm done.

[Blizzard]

Because nobody is answering the question. When it was answered once, I have asked another question with more information. But suit yourself.

[Diokatsu]

Well, depends. I think you shouldn't because it's quite obvious that the world will end which you'll innately care about to some degree. But, it could be a good card to use to get the governments of the world to do what you want so I'd recommend blackmail.

[Blizzard]

Finally somebody seems to get the idea. Ok, this is it: Caring is motivation. As soon as you care, you are motivated. Now, is caring the absolute motivation or is there something else? Does another form of motivation exist that is not based on caring?
Of course with caring I am not talking about caring in the traditional sense, I am talking about caring as in motivation which is the whole point here.
So, is there another form of motivation?

[Arkaea Halfdemon]

You can destroy the world with a keystroke, or you can walk away. You don't care about yourself, or anyone and anything else for that matter. Your feelings for everything are completely neutral. However, you are a rational being, and as such you can use logic to come to the "right" decision.

So, the factor becomes the individual's beliefs. Because they are opinions (educated or not has no relevance), there can be no right or wrong answer.


If the person had my beliefs, then he would walk away from the button. I walk away because I have to realize the human universe doesn't revolve around me. I may have the power to destroy it, but that doesn't make me greater than it. And because I'm apathetic, I'm outside of the system. As such, it's not my place to disturb it. My option is suicide, or seclusion.

But that's just me.

[Blizzard]

But having beliefs is automatically caring and gives you automatically a motivation. Same with logic. If you introduce logic, you already care to analyze the situation or proceed using an analysis result. Care is not an emotion. I think that caring is the absolute motivation.
Also, each extrinsic motivation HAS to trigger an intrinsic motivation so something happens. Example: When somebody puts a gun on your head, you care if you react.

[Arkaea Halfdemon]

The topic is a lil' pointless if the being making the decision isn't sentient.

The answer: No. The thing doesn't care enough to do anything. There's no motivation to press the button. So the thing sits there, not doing anything. If you can't care, it's not possible to make a decision, or do anything. So, I imagine this being would just dehydrate to death.

But realistically, those kind of limits don't exist.

Caring is, basically, universal motivation. But that doesn't mean a lot, due to the fact that there are different types of caring. E.g. caring about your survival; somebody else, etc. It's kinda obvious, now that I think about it.