Dilemma 5/31/09

And.... we're back!

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. A boat is sinking, and you must choose which eight of the ten adult passengers will get in the lifeboat.
2. A boat is sinking, and you must choose which eight of the ten child passengers will get in the lifeboat.

Dilemma-Free week

Sorry for the lack of dilemmas this week. There's just a little too much going on elsewhere in my life this month. I think it would be better for me to just take a week off instead of trying to catch up yet again... so look for the next Dilemma on May 31st.

Dilemma 5/23/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You are president of your country, and you agree to start a war to prevent an international catastrophe.
2. You are president of your country, and you agree to a secret operation to overthrow a government that is unfriendly to your country.

Dilemma 5/22/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You are unable to remember what words mean.
2. Your partner is unable to remember faces.

Dilemma 5/21/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. Because of pollution from a nearby factory, the majority of babies in your neighborhood are born with a severe birth defects.
2. Due to a widespread industrial catastrophe, the majority of the babies in a foreign country are born with severe birth defects.

Dilemma 5/20/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. A virus wipes out all the trees in your area.
2. A virus wipes out all the birds in your area.

Dilemma 5/19/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. Your property is vandalized, and you have reason to believe your best friend's child is responsible.
2. Your best friend's property is vandalized, and you have reason to believe your child is responsible.

Dilemma 5/18/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You are stuck on a deserted island with your worst enemy.
2. You help your worst enemy to succeed in a plan that ultimately harms you.

Dilemma 5/17/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You deliberately break a very important promise to your child.
2. You deliberately break a very important promise to your partner.

Dilemma 5/16/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You accidentally break a very important promise to your child.
2. You accidentally break a very important promise to your partner.

Dilemma 5/15/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. Your child loses his or her toes.
2. Your partner loses his or her thumbs.

Dilemma 5/14/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You lose your toes.
2. You lose your thumbs.

Dilemma 5/13/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. A garbage dump is built right next to your home.
2. A maximum security prison is built in your home town.

Dilemma 5/12/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. The Amazon rainforest becomes a desert.
2. The massive farmland areas in your country become a desert.

Dilemma 5/11/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You torture someone in the hope of getting the information you need to prevent thirty deaths.
2. You refuse to torture someone, and ten people die because you did not get the information to save them.

Dilemma 5/10/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You have twenty children.
2. You have fifty cats.

Dilemma 5/9/08

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. Your only source of food is restaurant leftovers and garbage.
2. Your only source of water is a muddy pond.

Dilemma 5/8/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. The government mandates the use of public transportation, and bans the personal ownership of all gasoline-powered vehicles.
2. The government bans washers and dryers because they use too much energy.

Dilemma 5/7/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. Humans land on another planet, and the bacteria they bring with them wipes out all native life.
2. A meteorite releases alien bacteria on Earth that cause a disease pandemic.

Dilemma 5/6/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You become immortal, but no one else does.
2. Your child becomes immortal, but no one else does.

Dilemma 5/5/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. You are unable to read words.
2. You are unable to work with numbers.

Dilemma 5/4/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. A "violent" gene is discovered, and people who have it are isolated from society at birth.
2. A "genius" gene is discovered, and only people who have it can get advanced schooling.

Dilemma 5/3/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. The government bans ice cream because it is bad for you.
2. The government mandates all citizens should eat brussel sprouts at least twice a week because they are good for you.

Dilemma 5/2/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. People become so fearful of encountering violence that almost all interactions they have with other people are virtual.
2. A "violence" gene is identified, and all people who have the gene are isolated and only permitted to interact virtually with other people.

Dilemma 5/1/09

You have the magical power to stop one and only one of the following two scenarios. Which would you prevent?

1. The government enacts very strict birth control laws to slow the population growth of your country.
2. Overpopulation of your country leads to famine, disease epidemics, and a high death rate.