A real man, real in all the ways we recognize as real, finds himself suddenly abstracted from the world and deposited in a physical situation which could not possibly exist: sounds have aroma, smells have color and depth, sights have texture, touches have pitch and timbre. There he is informed by a disembodied voice that he has been brought to that place as a champion for his world. He must fight to the death in single combat against a champion from another world. If he is defeated, he will die, and his world, the real world, will be destroyed because it lacks the inner strength to survive.
The man refuses to believe what he is told is true. He asserts that he is either dreaming or hallucinating, and declines to be put in the false position of fighting to the death where no "real" danger exists. He is implacable in his determination to disbelieve his apparent situation, and does not defend himself when he is attacked by the champion of the other world.
Is the man's behavior courageous or cowardly?
Feel free to ask your own questions if you so desire.
>>377855
>sounds have aroma, smells have color and depth, sights have texture, touches have pitch and timbre
So, synesthesia?
>>377883
Since the comprehension
of sweet sound is our most indefinite conception, music, when combined
with a pleasurable idea, is poetry. Music without the idea is simply music.
Without music or an intriguing idea, colour becomes pallor, man becomes
carcass, home becomes catacomb, and the dead are but for a moment
motionless.
>>377855
Considering the way the world works the vast majority of the time, he is justified in believing it's a hallucination. Although he could just play along to be safe, he's being a bit silly.
>>377855
This sounds like a question of risk calculation rather than ethics
Let me pose a followup scenario:
Say a mugger corners you in an alleyway and threatens that he'll kill a random person unless you give him $5. Would it be greedy to shrug him off?
Let's say he comes back the next day and threatens to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York, killing over 5 million people, unless you give him $5. Would it be greedy to shrug him off?
The chance is extremely small, but the payoff would be extremely negative. Using an expected value calculation may lead you to the conclusion that a 0.001% chance of saving 5 million lives is worth $5.
>>377855
The man is a coward for declining will give us 2 for sure results;
1) he is hallucinating
2)destruction of mankind
while fighting would give infinite results, where the chances of mankind surviving would at least be 50/50
1)he is hallucinating
2)he decides to fight and is not hallucinating
2a) wins
2b)loses
2c)other outcomes that can occur such as a draw, interruption of fight, etc
So the man is essentially choosing the path of less burden for him; he is abandoning his duties as a man/representative of mankind
opponents might argue that his decision to not fight it logical and can be rationally explained, but cowardice/heroism is abstract and emotional concepts, and i for one, as a man, feel disgusted by this man for not rising up to the challenge, even if not real
I sound like a freaking fedora, but there you go
>>377855
Do I give the old begger my wedding ring now, or later?
He should tell the voice that he has no right to condemn another world to death just to save his world because all lives are worth the same and challenge the voice to a meme off.
>>377929
I would pay him to detonate a nuke in nyc.
>>377855
depends on his motives
if he is too cowardly to face reality, then he is cowardly
if he stubbornly refuses to play this game as a kind of statement, having had no opportunity to practice and learn to fight in this new universe, then he is brave
>>378410
Is there some joke I'm missing?
>>377937
I agree with this, however there's also another possibility
>Be a crazy dude
>Sitting in coffee shop or what-have-you
>Everything goes black
>Synaesthesia kicks in
>WHAT THE FUCK.jpg
>"You must kill a man for the sake of humanity"
>"lol k"
>Proceed to kill a man
>Senses return
>Standing over the body of a dead bystander, having had murdered him while hallucinating
>>377937
I agree. His refusal to engage in the situation would be rooted in deep intellectual stubborness, not willing to accept what you can't fully explain.
Courage + high abstract thinking would mean he understands everything may rest on his actions, and therefore acts just in case to save the human race, but understands how unnecessary the situation is.
>>378755
I think the difference there would be how elaborate and how long-lasting the hallucination is. If it happened immediately, I would wait a decently long time to see how profound the "illusion" is; if it didn't dissipate or change after multiple tests, I would safely engage in the fight.
>>378723
The passage OP quoted is from a book by a guy named Stephen Donaldson, posed to a character by an old beggar, who hands him a slip of paper with its response.
In an encounter with the beggar a few minutes later, the protagonist tries to give him his wedding ring. It's complicated and symbolic.
>>377855
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandiose_delusions
Glad we cleared that up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc
>>377855
is it courageous or cowardly to count to ten? is it courageous or cowardly to go to work at the same time every day? is it courageous or cowardly to take naps? is it courageous or cowardly to speak English? is it courageous or cowardly to dislike jazz music? is the man's behavior courageous or cowardly?
these questions don't make sense.
>>377855
>Is the man's behavior courageous or cowardly?
Only he knows his inner motivations senpai
>>377929
So if he says he'll kill 10^10^10^10^10^10 people using a time machine, the payoff is so negative that you are obliged to pay him?
Cowardly
Anyone chatting shit must get banged whether encountered in an ambiguous dream state or not
Your hypothetical can just as easily be the fleeting state of existence we percieve now, and your question would be just as valid if a drunk asshole decides you need to be a champion against his drunk asshole world's champion in a fight
>>377855
Ethics questions actually go to /b/
