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Originally posted by Kyo
There are certain details that have been left out that could influence the decision:
1) Exactly what would you forget? Would you forget how to walk as well? Or would you simply lose knowledge, but retain ability (I realize that the separation between those two is sometimes very slight)? Would you remember how to talk?
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Yeah, I thought of that, which is why I explained that you would only lose
personal memories. You would still remain a "functional" human...you can walk, talk etc. plus "general knowledge" would still be known to you...
To less complicate the issue, lets say that this basic knowlege isn't really your knownledge. It is a "blank template" injected into your brain after it has been wiped.
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Less of a detail, but something to consider if you want scientific results:
2) How old are you?
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Um...I guess middle age. You (probably) still have an appreciable length of time before you will die.
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My initial reaction to a question such as this (_something_ or death) is always to take the non-death option. The reasoning is simple - no matter how bad something gets, if you are still alive things can get better, things can change, unexpected and miraculous things could happen. No matter how slight the chance, the chance is there. But if you die, it's over, that's it. There are no second chances or miracles for the dead.
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Remember it's not stictly "something bad or death", it is "something bad now or death later", which I think makes all the difference.
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Of course, asking a woman whether she'd rather be raped and killed or just killed might result in a fairly one-sided vote for being killed without being raped. Nevermind the chance that someone could save her while the rape was occuring, many people simply don't think that chance is worth it.
I'm fairly young. I have, as they say, my whole life in front of me. My parents are still alive and working, so even though I'm only a year or so away from fully supporting myself, I still have people to fall back on (who, even though I wouldn't remember them, would remember me). I'm 'too young to die.'
Someone who is much older, who is perhaps already dying, to pick an extreme example, would probably prefer death to amnesia. I get the impression that they live for the people around them, since they have already lived their life of ambition and achievement. To suddenly forget everyone and everything in the last legs of your life could very easily be considered a fate worse than death.
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My way of looking at is, is that you are the sum total of your memories, and past experiences. Although you may start a new life after your "amnesia", I would see it that that is a different person, merely inhabiting your body.