Re: The Smiling Bomber Hypothetical
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2020 5:30 amPlease consider the following hypothetical which will require you to make inferences regarding human psychology and nature:
The scenario takes place in a dystopia steampunk version of the United Kingdom.
You are a famous magical detective serving the Alliance government. Years ago, you were tasked with investigating the serial bomber, called the Smiling Bomber. The Smiling Bomber is the main terrorist working for a group of freedom fighters known as the Holstadt Liberation Army.
The Smiling Bomber was a former MI6 agent who felt betrayed by his government when doing some black ops missions in the former British colonies in Africa. The Smiling Bomber targeted schools, hospitals, and government buildings until he was stopped.
You were eventually able to figure out his true identity and lead a task force that put an end to his reign of terror after a drawn out magical duel over a series of zeppelins and throughout an abandoned factory.
The Smiling Bomber was given life without possibility of parole and thrown into the Glass Box System.
4 years later... a copycat to the Smiling Bomber emerges. This copycat also wears the same mask and uses the same type of highly revolutionary magical explosives used by the Smiling Bomber. The new killer is about to blow up an entire hospital; he has escaped before leaving the ticking magical bomb there.
While the Smiling Bomber focused his terrorism against continental Europe, this new Copycat targeted mostly British Isles targets.
The English Queen's daughter is in the building on life support and cannot be evacuated.
The British forces are unable to safely defuse the bomb; they conclude that only the Smiling Bomber knows the incantation and magical procedure to shut it down. They conclude that they must evacuate whoever they can in time, and then leave the hospital to be bombed (even in the best case scenario, several dozens to maybe a hundred will die).
However, due to the daughter being in there, the Queen intercedes. The Queen makes a deal with the Smiling Bomber, if the former terrorist helps her defuse the bomb their life sentence will be reduced to seven years effective immediately.
The Queen tells you to handle the bomb disposal from a safe distance.
While the Smiling Bomber (guarded by MPs) is next to you he gives you instructions on how to defuse the magical bomb.
To make sure you are safe from the possibility of explosion, you conduct this Bomb Defusion Operation from the safety of Buckingham Palace. You use advanced Aastral projection to send a semi-material form of yourself (controlled by your mind) into the hospital grounds to deal with the bomb.
Once your Aastral form gets there, the Smiling Killer gives you a bunch of instructions which you carry out. Using incantations, most of the magical properties of the bomb are defused. Then he tells you that to finalise the whole thing, you only have to cut the Red Wire.
At this moment, you second-guess his intentions.
With the timer counting down...
The Smiling Bomber tells you to hurry up or everyone will die. "CUT THE RED WIRE NOW!"
Which wire do you cut? Why? Please answer based on your understanding of human nature.
Your options:
The scenario takes place in a dystopia steampunk version of the United Kingdom.
You are a famous magical detective serving the Alliance government. Years ago, you were tasked with investigating the serial bomber, called the Smiling Bomber. The Smiling Bomber is the main terrorist working for a group of freedom fighters known as the Holstadt Liberation Army.
The Smiling Bomber was a former MI6 agent who felt betrayed by his government when doing some black ops missions in the former British colonies in Africa. The Smiling Bomber targeted schools, hospitals, and government buildings until he was stopped.
You were eventually able to figure out his true identity and lead a task force that put an end to his reign of terror after a drawn out magical duel over a series of zeppelins and throughout an abandoned factory.
The Smiling Bomber was given life without possibility of parole and thrown into the Glass Box System.
4 years later... a copycat to the Smiling Bomber emerges. This copycat also wears the same mask and uses the same type of highly revolutionary magical explosives used by the Smiling Bomber. The new killer is about to blow up an entire hospital; he has escaped before leaving the ticking magical bomb there.
While the Smiling Bomber focused his terrorism against continental Europe, this new Copycat targeted mostly British Isles targets.
The English Queen's daughter is in the building on life support and cannot be evacuated.
The British forces are unable to safely defuse the bomb; they conclude that only the Smiling Bomber knows the incantation and magical procedure to shut it down. They conclude that they must evacuate whoever they can in time, and then leave the hospital to be bombed (even in the best case scenario, several dozens to maybe a hundred will die).
However, due to the daughter being in there, the Queen intercedes. The Queen makes a deal with the Smiling Bomber, if the former terrorist helps her defuse the bomb their life sentence will be reduced to seven years effective immediately.
The Queen tells you to handle the bomb disposal from a safe distance.
While the Smiling Bomber (guarded by MPs) is next to you he gives you instructions on how to defuse the magical bomb.
To make sure you are safe from the possibility of explosion, you conduct this Bomb Defusion Operation from the safety of Buckingham Palace. You use advanced Aastral projection to send a semi-material form of yourself (controlled by your mind) into the hospital grounds to deal with the bomb.
Once your Aastral form gets there, the Smiling Killer gives you a bunch of instructions which you carry out. Using incantations, most of the magical properties of the bomb are defused. Then he tells you that to finalise the whole thing, you only have to cut the Red Wire.
At this moment, you second-guess his intentions.
With the timer counting down...
The Smiling Bomber tells you to hurry up or everyone will die. "CUT THE RED WIRE NOW!"
Which wire do you cut? Why? Please answer based on your understanding of human nature.
Your options:
1. Humans are fundamentally self-interested. This includes the Smiling Bomber (more likely than not). His sentence was reduced to 7 more years, there's NO WAY he'd throw this away just to troll you/harm some innocents. Even if he wanted to bomb more people in the long run, it would make more sense for him to earn the reduced parole, wait 10 years, then start bombing once he was out. Either way, there's no way he would lie. I listen to him and cut the Red.
2. I don't trust him. Some men just want to watch the world burn and they cannot resist. I understand the Smiling Killer to be amongst this type. Therefore, I'm not listening to him. I'm cutting the Blue.
3. I don't trust him. However, he knew that I wouldn't trust him and that I'd err towards Blue, so I stick to his instruction of cutting Red in the hopes of breaking a double think.
4. I... err... human nature... hmmmm it's too hard to read. You know what? I'm going to just flip a coin. Heads for Red, tails for Blue. I can't deal with this any other way. (Assume there is enough time to settle a coin flip)
