All Aboard!! ... no, not you
 

You'll probably remember doing this in school:
A big disaster has happened, all the people are gonna die. You get to choose 9 others that will survive (besides yourself).
You get to choose from:

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
3. Police Officer, Male, 37 yrs
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
5. Actress, Female, 33 yrs
6. At home father, Male, 49 yrs
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
8. Lawyer, Female, 51 yrs
9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs
10. Judge, Female, 47 yrs
11. Secretary, Male, 25 yrs
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
13. Priest, Male, 60
14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs
15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs
16. Linguist, Female, 40
17. Drug Dealer, Male, 23 yrs
18. Weatherman, Male, 44 yrs
19. Son of God, Jesus, ???
20. Clown, Female, 30

So who will you choose?

15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs - i love programmers
1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs - everyone will get sick
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs - potential
3. Police Officer, Male, 37 yrs - keep order
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs - potential
14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs - just in case
16. Linguist, Female, 40 - to help other people
10. Judge, Female, 47 yrs - settle disputes
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs - we all need food.

"Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?"


:D

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs (people will get sick...don't drink the water)
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs (mm, ovulicious)
3. Police Officer, Male, 37 yrs (keep the peace)
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs (grow food- teach others how to grow food)
5. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs (build shelter)
6. Judge, Female, 47 yrs (make decisions)
7. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs (group leader, survival training)
8. Linguist, Female, 40 (Tribe languages can be tricky)
9. Son of God, Jesus, ??? (God wouldn't let his own son die...oh..wait..)

um with the linguist thing..i assumed you were deserted on some island...but if ALL the people died, i would have to go with

Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs

Female, and able to solve logical problems. Also probably well educated or at least internet learned so she can pass on some knowledge.

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs

We'll presumably need someone with medical expertise

2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
5. Actress, Female, 33 yrs
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
20. Clown, Female, 30
9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs

We will need as many women of child-bearing age as possible. Two women (not counting me) to every man sounds about right. Even at that we're seriously bucking the odds for population viability - you need at least 50 for short-term survival of the species and 500 for long-term survival. Are we the only people on the earth, or do we stand a chance of finding other pockets of people? The construction worker is doubly useful - knows how to build things AND can give birth.

4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs

As the food supply has presumably been interrupted we'll need someone who knows how to farm.

11. Secretary, Male, 25 yrs

The other two men are middle-aged and, while they can still father children for some time, may be past prime fertility. We'll need another young man, and the only other suitable candidates are a police officer and a drug dealer - that's the last thing we need, an authoritarian or a criminal.

If we're the only people left and we stand little chance of repopulating the human race, I'd pick much more hedonistically.

Well, there's one easy pick. Jesus has a pretty good track record on not dying when expected to, so i'll leave the big guy on his own.
Me, Male. 20 yrs. Mack Daddy In Chief.
Farmer, Male, 57 yrs-Agriculture is needed.
Doctor, Male, 40 yrs-ditto with medical care.
Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs-Bargain pick.
Student, Female, 19 yrs. Some brains, and baby makeingable.
Kid, Female, 13yrs I have a hard time saying "the kid dies" bonus that she's female.
Principal, Female, 29 yrs Young woman...probably with some leadership abilities.
Actress, Female, 33 yrs Young woman...
Computer Programmer, Female ditto...
Maybe the clown as the last pick, but i dunno....

I liked your post, Lurkette. It was well thought out.

Where did you get that from? Cheetahs have managed to survive, when at one point there were no more than seven individual cheetahs on the entire planet.

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
6. At home father, Male, 49 yrs
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs
10. Judge, Female, 47 yrs
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs
16. Linguist, Female, 40

Where's the rabbi?

Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
For healthcare

Student, Female, 19 yrs
Potential plus fresh education, could be used to teach others what she knows

Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
For food (no, not cooking him :D )

Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
Says it all really

Kid, Female, 13yrs
Potential, & as a goal for the other survivors: work to save the next generation (a visible symbol running around works better than an abstract goal)

Priest, Male, 60
For mental healthcare (could just as well be a rabbi, or a representative of other religions... Just somebody who has experience dealing with people & their little psychological problems)

Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs
For analysing & solving logical problems (probably pair her up with the constructionworker then)

Clown, Female, 30
for entertainment... A people without mental distraction are bound to get stressed out, especially in these circumstances
Police Officer, Male, 30 yrs

Re: All Aboard!! ... no, not you
 

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs (Someone's gonna need one eventually)
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs (I gotta have someone to shag with to repopulate the planet :D )
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs (need someone to get food from and to teach others to grow food/raise animals)
6. At home father, Male, 49 yrs (someone to raise the 13yr old.. hopefully the 13yr old will be his own child)
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs (Need someone with some knowledge on how to build new structures, roads, etc... and someone qualified to operate heavy machinery)
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs (A world w/o children's laughter would be sad.. she would have a father figure, and there are more than enough females she could pick a mother from if she wished)
15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs (gotta have someone who knows that shit.. that kind of knowledge cant die.)
16. Linguist, Female, 40 (A world w/o song would be sad also)
20. Clown, Female, 30 (We'll need humor)

Thanks!

Quote:

Where did you get that from? Cheetahs have managed to survive, when at one point there were no more than seven individual cheetahs on the entire planet.

Er...I think I read it in Scientific American or Discover or some other pop sci mag a couple of years ago. I'll see if I can find the research to back up my memory.

Cheetahs are still around but for how long? By "short-term" survival I mean centuries, by "long-term" survival I mean more-or-less permanent population stability. Cheetahs and many other endangered animals have only been endangered for the last hundred years or less, and without human intervention would have been extinct long ago. And we have yet to see if they do in fact survive in the wild for the next hundred years as habitats grow scarce.

Re: All Aboard!! ... no, not you
 

My whole choice hinges on one thing:

Is she a Cunning Linguist?

Well, there were no more than 7 individuals on the planet some time around the end of the last ice age...that's about 10-12,000 years ago. Nobody's sure how many are left now, but estimates put it at much less than 10,000. However, they would be doing just fine if we hadn't hunted them all out of the picture!

There's no way I'd make a choice whatsoever.
Unless I knew the people in question.
Their occupations don't mean shit until you've met them.
What if the judge is like Roy Moore? Or the priest is a Taliban?
What if the drug dealer is a really smart, nice guy?
What if the 13-year old girl is a nazi?


I wouldn't choose I had a feeling for each and every one of them.
The choices would be based on my instincts and nothing else. And that list doesn't give me anything at all.

I would let them work it out and/or fight it out - and choose the victors.

Nature knows best in matters of survival.

2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
Sex sex sex sex....

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
Makes sure we don't die much

14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs
Assuming he wasn't a chairborne commander, all the skills needed to survive right there.

4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
Food is good.

12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
Soon to be child bearing age

7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
Child bearing

20. Clown, Female, 30
Child bearing

11. Secretary, Male, 25 yrs
Sperm donor, although I get first pick. Also keeps genes more separated

6. At home father, Male, 49 yrs
Common sense, plus good advice on dealing with children.

9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs
Child bearing plus children skills.

Sounds believable. A small population would suffer from significant problems due to inbreeding.

I'd line em all up, say what will you do. If i think its relevent they're in. Also i'd choose nobody over 50

well if you keep
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
for sex... you will need
1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
eventually

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs (obvious)
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs (potential)
3. Police Officer, Male, 37 yrs (crowd control)
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs (hard worker)
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs (knowledgable worker)
9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs (dispute solver, management)
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs (potential)
14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs (crowd control, leadership)
19. Son of God, Jesus, ??? (hey we just went through a disaster we need some miracle workers right?)

health, sex, food, sex, shelter, sex, survival, sex, child birth, sex...

thats about it really, don't forget that a very high proportion of women died in child birth right up until the mid 1900's

A man would never think of such practical issues! My vote is for you!

I don't buy the talk of needing females to procreate. We're on a desert island - it's not like we're the last hope for humanity. If anything, getting someone pregnant would be a liability, not an advantage.

Actually we ARE the last hope for humanity - we're not on a desert island, there's going to be some disaster and everyone's going to die except for the people you choose. Where'd you get "desert island"?

First, I am assuming that we are the last ten people alive. Ten people probably provides too small of a gene pool for humans to survive, but assuming it could be done....

My goal would be to find the optimal balance between reproductive ability (lots of women), enough men for genetic diversity, a broad range of skills, and avoidance of direct competition with me.

People I would pick:
1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
People will get sick, and he will be able to pass on a lot of knowledge to the next generation.

2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
Need females to breed.

4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
We've gotta eat. This guy will probably die soon, but probably not before teaching us enough about agriculture to survive.

5. Actress, Female, 33 yrs
Still fertile, and with life experience to boot.

10. Judge, Female, 47 yrs
We need someone who knows how to settle disputes and solve problems in a fair manner. Hopefully fertile.

7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
Can build things, very important. Also probably fertile.

12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
We would need someone who was old enough to start learning from the adults immediately, but still young enough to pass their knowledge onto future generations. I.e. could bridge the 'generation gap' that would ensue. Also would be fertile (at least in a few years).

9. Principal, Female, 29 yrs
Presumably fertile, and would know the basics of educating children.

15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs
Probably fertile. Also useful as computer programmer provided fuel available for generators/working computers to access databases and whatnot.


Who I would not pick, and why:


3. Police Officer, Male, 37 yrs Authoritarian, things would have to be done 'his way'. I would probably shoot him very quickly, or he would do the same.

6. At home father, Male, 49 yrs
What good is he? He's old, and doesn't seem to have any particular skills.

8. Lawyer, Female, 51 yrs
Old for a female and probably underhanded. Laws would be more or less useless in a society of ten. We would just have to live by the basics "don't murder, steal, etc."

11. Secretary, Male, 25 yrs
Useless, and competition.

13. Priest, Male, 60
I don't want anybody pushing their wierd beliefs. Besides, even if he could get it up, he probably wouldn't.

14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs
This guy would definitely want to be in charge. I would definitely feel the need to shoot him. He wouldn't last long.

16. Linguist, Female, 40
With only ten people, what good is a linguist? Even if we spoke different languages, some common ground or pidgin would be learned quickly enough.

17. Drug Dealer, Male, 23 yrs
He couldn't be trusted, and he might get some of the people hooked on stuff. Also he would be direct competition.

19. Son of God, Jesus, ???
Why should I save him if he can save himself?

20. Clown, Female, 30
Useless and annoying

18. Weatherman, Male, 44 yrs
Would be marginally usefull, but I think I chose to snag another female instead.

Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
Student, Female, 19 yrs
Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
Kid, Female, 13yrs
Son of God, Jesus, ???
Lawyer, Female, 51 yrs
Judge, Female, 47 yrs
At home father, Male, 49 yrs

I am going to take a slightly different slant to this.

To begin with, consider the possible professions:
1. Doctor - Obviously necessary.
2. Student - Utterly useless. Everyone is a student.
3. Police Officer - Arguably useless. In society, a Police Officer is a representative of Law. Considering the officer as an individual, the officer is actually less useful than an Army officer, who is more disciplined and more combat-skilled than the Police Officer. The Army officer is also much more adept at keeping order.
4. Farmer - Food is good. But the question arises: do we necessarily need a farmer? With 10 people, I believe a hunter-gatherer lifestyle would be preferable to an agricultural one.
5. Actress - Useless. Entertainment can be found ... elsewhere.
6. At home father - Useless, unless everyone else is extremely inept at raising children. Without modern equipment, he would be hopelessly out of place anyway.
7. Construction worker - Such a worker has practical knowledge about the best ways to erect structures. However, they are not an architect or engineer - they do not know how to plan a building, only the best way to build something that has already been planned.
8. Lawyer - Useless. With 10 people, law is no longer a technical matter.
9. Principal - Useless. Management positions
10. Judge - Useless, for the same reason a lawyer is useless.
11. Secretary - Useless. Organization will be the least of your worries.
12. Kid - Represents potential, but worthless from a practical standpoint. If the adults die, it is likely she will follow soon after.
13. Priest - I am not a fan of religion, so I am inclined to dump this one. However, in their despair others may feel a need for spiritual comfort or enlightenment. A Priest represents an authority higher than worldly judicators, and therefore commands respect and perhaps even obediance from his followers. If the others you keep are also religious, a Priest actually doubles as a very reliable police officer and judge.
14. Army Officer - Preferred to the police officer. Useful for keeping order, as well as for protection. The stereotypical officer also has a strict sense of honor, loyalty, and discipline, and thus can be counted on to keep others in line while staying in line himself.
15. Computer Programmer - there are no computers, but programming requires an affinity for highly analytical thought. How useful analytical thought would be when you are 10 people in the wilderness just trying to survive is unknown.
16. Linguist - Useless*. The nature of language is irrelevant. *I am assuming everyone you pick speaks the same language. If not ... we could be in deeper than I thought.
17. Drug Dealer - Normally I would throw him away without a second thought, but there must be a reason he was included on the list. No one likes drug dealers, and nobody wants to touch one with a 10 foot pole. The fact that he is the youngest man hardly compensates. Something to chew on - what valuable skills does a drug dealer possess? Any?
18. Weatherman - Useless.
19. Son of God - He hardly needs to be picked; whether he lives or not is entirely dependant on factors outside of your control. In terms of use ... well. I think his job description speaks for itself.
20. Clown - A crude psychologist, really. Sometimes all people need is a good laugh, especially when things are looking bleak. But people are known to be able to get that laugh themselves.

There were several jobs I was looking for that weren't included in the list, much to my surprise. One of these is an engineer. In terms of use, an engineer would be a computer programmer on steroids. Another option would be a scientist (which is different from an engineer). A scientist seems less than useful at the end of the world, but treat him like a dictionary. With some way of recording all of his knowledge, we could salvage hundreds or thousands of years of scientific advancement. Consider: everyone knows how to use a computer in this day and age, but very few actually know how to build one. Without a scientist or computer engineer, this knowledge would be lost.

There are several others, but my time has just run out, unfortunately.

Kyo, I mostly agree with you, save for these two:
7 - For building basic structures and small housing, I'd prefer the construction engineer to an architect or engineer; a construction worker has a much better idea of the strength of materials and hands-on construction experience; the engineer can design, but will be almost useless for construction.
17 - A drug dealer may be worth considering. They would know a hell of a lot about the subtleties of human nature, and would almost certainly be good in a fight. His knowledge of ad hoc chemistry and horticulture may also be handy. Besides which, they'd have great stories. The only problem would be if the rest of the group despised him for his past life; any tension in a group of 10 would be disastrous. This would be a particular problem.

You also give a lot of credit to the scientist and the computer engineer. Even they would know very, very little about the inner workings of a computer; to us, most processors are still magic black boxes. Those who know how the black boxes still don't know everything you'd need to make a computer. Besides, you'd have to go through the industrial revolution again before you could make anything that even looks like a computer. Even if all the infrastructure remained, nobody would be able to operate the vast majority of it until it was well and truly decrepit.
I wouldn't mind having someone, though, who knew the inner workings of the atom, and could explain physics from Galileo to Einstein and beyond. That kind of knowledge is much harder to come up with than microprocessor design, and it would be pretty nice not to have to discover it all again.

My primary concern was that knowledge not be lost - not necessarily the specific knowledge of how to build a computer, but knowledge in general. Calculus. Quantum Physics. Astronomy. Chemistry. Assuming it is possible to rebuild civilization from 10 people (a dangerous assumption, I know), having this knowledge intact would be a great boon for future generations.

The last few lines of your paragraph are exactly what I was thinking.

that is very true. The perfect genes that Adam and Eve passed on to their children allowed for the necessary brother/sister pairings early on and took many generations to get corrupted enough for inbreeding to be a problem.

So far breeding seems to be the main concern... is that because it's natural instinct not to let our race die out? Why such an urge?

because even if it doesnt further the race, at least we can die happy?

but really, isnt that the most primal of all instincts? to reproduce and spread one's own genes around as much as possible? That is the case with the animal kingdom, and I don't see us as being that far away from them, even if we do have our own self proclaimed 'culture'.

I must have read the Lord of the Flies too closely and actually paid attention in Biology... god help me.

Re: All Aboard!! ... no, not you
 

1. Doctor, Male, 40 yrs
2. Student, Female, 19 yrs
4. Farmer, Male, 57 yrs
7. Construction Worker, Female, 28 yrs
12. Kid, Female, 13yrs
14. Army officer, Male, 48 yrs
15. Computer Programmer, Female, 35 yrs
16. Linguist, Female, 40
20. Clown, Female, 30

Breeding is the only hope for the future of humanity, seemingly everyone agrees humanity is worth saving if not exactly in its current form.

Moving back to an agrarian (I would presume?) society a farmer would be most useful and offspring would be an economic benefit once they reach a working age.

The Son of God...come on ....get on the good side and who knows?