Test 4.

[azumods]

KNOWLEDGE Compared to the frigid chamber you've just left, the cavern you enter now is warm. It isn't difficult to see why; while there's still a fair amount of space in here, it's far smaller, and there's a source of heat and light in here - a small fire going near a corner of the room, tucked away behind the wall and difficult to see as you enter, but fairly obvious once you're inside, the light from the flames bouncing off the corner of the chamber and making it decidely easier to see. There thankfully aren't any more of Froslass' "sculptures" in here; there is, however, a person. Candice is in the corner near the fire, pressed back against the wall and watching you as you enter; it's likely obvious from the start that there's something wrong with her, though it's difficult to say what just from looking at her. Her eyes aren't fixed in the same sort of dull, blank stare that the people affected by Team Galactic tend to display, but at the same time, they look viscerally wrong - it's alert but it's empty and almost completely unfocused, as though she's taking in information and she's processing it, but she's not actually seeing any of it. It's unsettling, but she's still watching you, and she's holding something close to her chest as she does so; she's got the thick, blue sweater untied from around her waist, and she's holding it bundled in her arms like she's trying to protect it. Her eyes don't come into focus, even as she addresses you. "I told you that you aren't welcome here. You need to leave. Now." Her gaze darts as she speaks, like she's trying to take in as much as she can, even if she doesn't seem to be registering any of it properly; her expression is hard. Cold. What happens now is up to you.

Comments

[azumods]

[...There's actually a pause at that.]

Murder is bad because it's unethical. The anger that would cause the act in the first place isn't wrong, though. In this case.

[eudaimonikos]

But it's not unethical in self-defense?

[He doesn't sound like he's judging, it's a genuine question]

See, I'm no utilitarian, but I think killing Cyrus would be perfectly justifiable, given that it may be the only way to stop all the harm he's causing. Some people just get so upset about it! It's not like we can even do that right now, practically, I'm just saying.

[azumods]

Given what he's done, I don't see why. I would think that...making the problem go away somehow is self-defense, which I don't find unethical.

[...That is a very Vulcan "I'm not going to tell you to kill him, but damn I wouldn't mind if he were to be on fire and it was perhaps your fault."]

[eudaimonikos]

Oh - that's the doctrine of double effect, isn't it...? Murder is a morally bad action, but if the action we're truly taking is an attempt to save the world, and killing Cyrus is an "unfortunate" consequence, then it's okay.

[that is possibly still not what chidi said]

[azumods]

[!!]

Yes, it is - that's exactly it.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael snaps his fingers and points, and oh god this is happening, isn't it]

Yes! We're already easily fulfilling four of the five conditions set forth by Aquinas, and I think that last one is debatable - oh, I don't know if you have him here.

[azumods]

[god help us tbh]

We don't.

[eudaimonikos]

He was a human philosopher from the 13th century - they're currently in the 21st one, for reference, so it's been a while. A lot of his thinking was based in theology that's completely wrong, but they still go back to his works a fair amount. For most of my world's history, humans had a really difficult time separating philosophical and ethical thinking from religious doctrine anyway.

[not-god...help us? someone help]

I guess that might hold more merit in a world with actual gods like this one, though I'm not...actually sure.