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Krouse's problem
Feb. 16th, 2021 09:37 pmYour name is Francis Krouse, and you have a box.
The evil mastermind and apocalyptic monster known as the Simurgh has arranged the circumstances so that you end up with a briefcase full of vials that grant superpowers. You know this. You also know the following things:
1) The Simurgh can see the future, read your mind, influence your thoughts, and has a long track record of setting people up to do catastrophic damage to the world.
2) You are in an environment where she has had more than enough time to set up the situation as desired, including various superpowered adversaries and some really thorny problems you don't have a good solution to.
3) You are kind of an asshole, and if pushed will protect yourself and the people you care about at the cost of innocent lives.
You have concluded, based on the available evidence, that the Simurgh has set you up to take the vials, gain superpowers, and go do some superpowered catastrophic damage. You'd rather not do this, all things being equal, but see 3.
If you attempt to ignore the vials, you expect the Simurgh to have set things up so that the situation will get even more dire and you will be forced to take them.
If you attempt to destroy the vials, you expect the Simurgh to have set things up so something or someone immediately comes up to stop you, violently if required. And then force your hand some other way, as above.
If you just take the vials now, no further manipulations by the Simurgh would have been necessary so she doesn't need to have set up anything to worsen your situation. But you likely will do some catastrophic damage to the world.
The Simurgh has already left. She predicted your decision and set up circumstances accordingly, but she is no longer actively manipulating you or any bystanders and cannot react to your decision in the present.
What do you do?
The evil mastermind and apocalyptic monster known as the Simurgh has arranged the circumstances so that you end up with a briefcase full of vials that grant superpowers. You know this. You also know the following things:
1) The Simurgh can see the future, read your mind, influence your thoughts, and has a long track record of setting people up to do catastrophic damage to the world.
2) You are in an environment where she has had more than enough time to set up the situation as desired, including various superpowered adversaries and some really thorny problems you don't have a good solution to.
3) You are kind of an asshole, and if pushed will protect yourself and the people you care about at the cost of innocent lives.
You have concluded, based on the available evidence, that the Simurgh has set you up to take the vials, gain superpowers, and go do some superpowered catastrophic damage. You'd rather not do this, all things being equal, but see 3.
If you attempt to ignore the vials, you expect the Simurgh to have set things up so that the situation will get even more dire and you will be forced to take them.
If you attempt to destroy the vials, you expect the Simurgh to have set things up so something or someone immediately comes up to stop you, violently if required. And then force your hand some other way, as above.
If you just take the vials now, no further manipulations by the Simurgh would have been necessary so she doesn't need to have set up anything to worsen your situation. But you likely will do some catastrophic damage to the world.
The Simurgh has already left. She predicted your decision and set up circumstances accordingly, but she is no longer actively manipulating you or any bystanders and cannot react to your decision in the present.
What do you do?
