Philosophy Discussion Forums

Sorry. No point explaining a joke. I wrongly assumed you would be able to see the humour. Generally, if one is going to tease others it's only fair to be a good sport when teased in return.

Whatever, it's an error to think of animals, or cells for that matter, as "machines". They are all very much more like us than any machine is. Humans also can't function on their own and are easily replaceable. Thus, authoritarians and billionaires think nothing about metaphorically squashing them, hence the "ad hominem".

Greta wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 1:43 am

Thrylix wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 1:22 am

Well, I'd agree that being a tyrant to ants is not appealing. Ants are basically mindless drones. However, the scenario in question is one in which the beings are ant-sized but have the same level of intelligence and sophistication as their human counterparts, just much tinier in scale. But they'd basically have the same technology. So being a tyrant to them would be appealing, or at least it would be to a guy like me.

Oh, I didn't realise! We are honoured to have you here at our humble forum, Mr President

Ants are underestimated, much brighter than most people assume, especially the larger ones. The nest has a collective intelligence too, which is well documented now.

Have you ever heard of the advice given to single, dating women to steer clear of dates who treat the wait staff (of the restaurant where the date is taking place) boorishly regardless of how well they treat their date? It commonly goes by the name of the Waiter Rule.

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 4:35 am

Greta wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 1:43 amOh, I didn't realise! We are honoured to have you here at our humble forum, Mr President :D

Ants are underestimated, much brighter than most people assume, especially the larger ones. The nest has a collective intelligence too, which is well documented now.

Have you ever heard of the advice given to single, dating women to steer clear of dates who treat the wait staff (of the restaurant where the date is taking place) boorishly regardless of how well they treat their date? It commonly goes by the name of the Waiter Rule.

I dare not say anything. I might get in bother :)

I did once have to shame a partner into behaving like a proper human being in restaurants rather than a lord and master. If nothing else, it just creates unnecessary bad vibes for all and I expect it's a good way of inadvertently end up eating staff saliva and public hairs. Similarly, what if the ant people found the tyranny intolerable and decided to band together and fight back? One may end up being a rather itchy deity.

I’ve just realised. This is basically what my boardgame is all about! Developing and playing with simulated worlds and cultures

Greta wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 5:26 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 4:35 am Have you ever heard of the advice given to single, dating women to steer clear of dates who treat the wait staff (of the restaurant where the date is taking place) boorishly regardless of how well they treat their date? It commonly goes by the name of the Waiter Rule.

I dare not say anything. I might get in bother

I did once have to shame a partner into behaving like a proper human being in restaurants rather than a lord and master. If nothing else, it just creates unnecessary bad vibes for all and I expect it's a good way of inadvertently end up eating staff saliva and public hairs. Similarly, what if the ant people found the tyranny intolerable and decided to band together and fight back? One may end up being a rather itchy deity.

I suppose that if it is common knowledge among dating women that men who treat those who they feel are their inferiors poorly deserve to be dropped, that it is a pretty good bet that foodstuffs provided to tyrants have and will continue to contain a certain amount of bodily fluid (and solid) contamination.

Now i want to ask you Human.......

What if you were a superior Alien race and were give absolute power over Humans.

Another words to this hypothetical alien race - You are the aliens!

And if the still circumstantial evidence that observed UFO craft 'may be' controlled by a far superior,
at least technologically, race of beings......

How might you expect them to act towards your species

Seek complete dominance and control? - They could do it.

Or just continue to observe until............

After all if their technology is so far advanced so as to allow for interstellar flight in craft {UFO observed
craft} that seem to defy the laws of physics as Man knows them - They would not need Human
technology - And after observing Human history and its sordid and ongoing ways, might not be inclined
to give their technology to a species who they might still see as too primitive and dangerous

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 4:30 am... it is a pretty good bet that foodstuffs provided to tyrants have and will continue to contain a certain amount of bodily fluid (and solid) contamination.

It just goes to show that tyrants either need a strong immune system to only ever consume anonymous meals from a fast food outlet like, say, just taking a stab in the dark—McDonalds :)

UniversalAlien wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 7:57 am Now i want to ask you Human.......

What if you were a superior Alien race and were give absolute power over Humans.

... if their technology is so far advanced so as to allow for interstellar flight in craft ... They would not need Human technology - And after observing Human history and its sordid and ongoing ways, might not be inclined to give their technology to a species who they might still see as too primitive and dangerous :?:

Sounds fair to me. Even sustainable energy technology would surely be leveraged and abused. We are already formidable. If there is more than one hyper intelligent species there could be political issues with differing views about interference, which is rather Star Trek :)

I've read speculation that Earth could be a target because it has a greater variety of heavy elements than any celestial body known to us, and thus could be valuable. However, if you can travel interstellar distances you can probably easily change one element into another too without much difficulty.

Greta wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 8:36 pm

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 4:30 am... it is a pretty good bet that foodstuffs provided to tyrants have and will continue to contain a certain amount of bodily fluid (and solid) contamination.

It just goes to show that tyrants either need a strong immune system to only ever consume anonymous meals from a fast food outlet like, say, just taking a stab in the dark—McDonalds

Just goes to show you that while consuming another's foul contamination sounds bad, that the fact that tyrants tend to die from violence rather than infection proves that it is not necessarily unhealthful.

Bon appétit...

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 18th, 2018, 3:04 am

Greta wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 8:36 pm
It just goes to show that tyrants either need a strong immune system to only ever consume anonymous meals from a fast food outlet like, say, just taking a stab in the dark—McDonalds :)

Just goes to show you that while consuming another's foul contamination sounds bad, that the fact that tyrants tend to die from violence rather than infection proves that it is not necessarily unhealthful.

Bon appétit...

Do tyrants die? My impression is that they live forever while the good drop off like flies.

Greta wrote: ↑December 18th, 2018, 4:49 pm

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 18th, 2018, 3:04 am

Just goes to show you that while consuming another's foul contamination sounds bad, that the fact that tyrants tend to die from violence rather than infection proves that it is not necessarily unhealthful.

Bon appétit...

Do tyrants die? My impression is that they live forever while the good drop off like flies.

As it happens tyrants lower the life expectancy of everyone, themselves included.

Lucky, Mao Zedong lived to his early 80s. Stalin made the mid 70s. Idi Amin, 80. Pinochet 91. Pol Pot 72.

Hitler admittedly only reached his 50s and Mussolini, his 60s but it would seem that tyrant longevity is not bad.

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 4:30 am

Greta wrote: ↑December 16th, 2018, 5:26 am
I dare not say anything. I might get in bother

I did once have to shame a partner into behaving like a proper human being in restaurants rather than a lord and master. If nothing else, it just creates unnecessary bad vibes for all and I expect it's a good way of inadvertently end up eating staff saliva and public hairs. Similarly, what if the ant people found the tyranny intolerable and decided to band together and fight back? One may end up being a rather itchy deity.

I suppose that if it is common knowledge among dating women that men who treat those who they feel are their inferiors poorly deserve to be dropped, that it is a pretty good bet that foodstuffs provided to tyrants have and will continue to contain a certain amount of bodily fluid (and solid) contamination.

Don't know about you, I always try to be nice to waitstaff. Their job is hard as hell.

As for contaminating foodstuffs provided to tyrants, sometimes it's wise but it may also not be. If I really were a 1000 ft tall giant and my subjects decided to do such a thing, besides stamping my feet on their towns as retribution, I'd use h_k_s's idea and introduce them to my bodily fluid. Wonder how they would react if they were made to lick a gigantic penis and then watch their communities, schools and all, be submerged in my seminal fluid.

Thrylix wrote: ↑December 19th, 2018, 12:24 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑December 17th, 2018, 4:30 am

I suppose that if it is common knowledge among dating women that men who treat those who they feel are their inferiors poorly deserve to be dropped, that it is a pretty good bet that foodstuffs provided to tyrants have and will continue to contain a certain amount of bodily fluid (and solid) contamination.

Don't know about you, I always try to be nice to waitstaff. Their job is hard as hell.

As for contaminating foodstuffs provided to tyrants, sometimes it's wise but it may also not be. If I really were a 1000 ft tall giant and my subjects decided to do such a thing, besides stamping my feet on their towns as retribution, I'd use h_k_s's idea and introduce them to my bodily fluid. Wonder how they would react if they were made to lick a gigantic penis and then watch their communities, schools and all, be submerged in my seminal fluid.

Speaking of penises, since a tactical nuke can be as small as a loaf of bread, a suicide bomber would be a short trip up the urethra away from performing the "exploding cigar" trick.

As to foodstuff contamination, the victim doesn't learn of it as a rule (otherwise no one would go to restaurants) and as I mentioned it is purely for the entertainment of the oppressed, it likely doesn't provide any true negativity to the victim. Of course if it were an alien invasion, since 1000 feet is 167 times the height of a person, you should have 4.6 million times the weight. Therefore the lethal volume of botulinum toxin (at an average of 2 ng/kg for humans) would be a mere 650 milligrams for you, about a bottle of wine into the Empire State building. Of course this would have to be injected, but again that is what ninjas, commandos and SEALs are for.

Eh, if I stamp my feet on a few schools, kids and all, I think they'll be too petrified to pull a stunt like that. The sight of dozens of little red splotches that used to be their children on the bottom of a giant white sneaker should be a good deterrent.