Another terrifying video

Will Mankind act in time to save the planet? We have a stark choice, and here the choice's starkness is laid plain for you. This could be the starkest choice ever faced.

This was made as a response to the patently daft video made by wonderingmind42 "The most terrifying video you'll ever see", which several people sent me copies of, taking him seriously. He set out exactly this argument, but with global warming and carbon dioxide emissions instead of volcanoes and land erosion. No matter what the subject matter is, it is equally crass.

I keep saying "graph" when I mean 'chart'. Sorry about that.

www.LloydianAspects.co.uk

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• global
• warming
• wonderingmind42
• argument
• chart
• column
• row
• choice
• planet
• save
• scare

[adrastea99]

Is that a big enough hole in your theory?

[lindybeige]

@adrastea99 I fear that you have missed the point of this video. It is an ironic spoof of a much-viewed YouTube video made by someone else. This other video did not take into account the ludicrousness or improbability of any given threat.

[LoomisLoftis]

Define the costs. This is where it gets tough. You can't define the costs. You can't trust government to define the costs for you. what if the "pound sign" is excruciatingly huge and the associated smiley face is tiny. What if there is a third column where the outcome is a whole host of unintended consequences.  The problem with your chart is that it is oversimplified to the point of being meaningless.

[lindybeige]

@LoomisLoftis I think you need to check the batteries in your ironometer.

[halopwner179]

Murphy law is a fun thing to toss into this so i would most likely go for row one so we will most likely live even if it is at a cost. also since this argument is quite solid i would ask if i could use this in one or so of my classes to see how the masses i learn with react to it.

[ASaxonAtHeart]

Oh. :P

[ASaxonAtHeart]

By a minute and a half into this video, I'm reluctantly facing the fact that I will probably have to let go of one of my previously strongly affirmed beliefs.

[Sitharion]

That is a very big smiley-face. If I get a 50/50 chance to see a volcano-sized smiley, I think I'll take my chances. Because, come on, a volcano-sized smiley.

[vanRijn64]

Poe's Law dooms you to hate and scorn.

[codyahernek]

I choose row two, mediocracy is boring.

[blacksilkblacksilk]

(2) contd.

So if we do not KNOW for sure, and therefore probably not understand, then how do we determine what action to take ?

(Asuming that the soil is washed away and leads to volcano argument serves as a metaphor)

Because if we do not KNOW any action might make things 1) better 2) worse 3) have no effect at all with respect top the problem.

So my take on this catch is that science must be developped to the point where we can determine suitable action. Else it would be gambling actionism.

[blacksilkblacksilk]

Brilliant argument.

However there is a slight catch. If we can determine if it`s true, then we probably understand things well enough to take suitable action, and it is not a choice anymore - ideally speaking of course - becasue determining means we KNOW it`s true and we understand it - to an extent.

If we must however make a decision based on two smilys in one row, and - we win in any case - vs one row with MtDoom - then we do not - yet - KNOW. So we do not properly understand. CONTINUED

[Tarantio1983]

what if errossion isn't the cause of the apocalypse?!

what if it's some man-made thing like; psychotic AI military mainframes, a bio-viral weapon that spawns a horde of zombies or dna-cloned dinosaurs or anything from any major movie of the past 30 years?!

then we're all screwed no matter what ... so fuck it all, i'm gonna get drunk and not give a hoot! :P

[SuperDisser]

Pascal's wager.