An... interesting hypothetical

[hittite]

I thought this up a while ago, and I've been trying to decide how it would turn out ever since. For the life of me, I can't decide.

Imagine, if you will, that you're stranded on an alien planet. By some miracle, the atmosphere is breathable and the wildlife isn't trying too hard to kill you. Unfortunately, you're running low on supplies and there is only one single edible thing on the planet: the natives. They're intelligent, friendly, and peaceful. They have done you no wrong. So the question comes down to this: murder an innocent or slowly starve to death.

I want to think that I'd do the noble thing and die, but I simply can't know for sure.

EDIT: for those of you trying to beat the system, I refer you here

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.248655-An-interesting-hypothetical?page=3#9164533

 

[Jedamethis]

Tell them of my plight, and hope they either, say, supply me with condemned criminals to eat, or help me find another way to get food.

 

[Susano]

What about the other wildlife or plantlife?

 

[Marik2]

So what are the natives eating?

LOL my thoughts exactly.

 

[hittite]

So what are the natives eating?

Alien planet. Alien biology is, by definition, alien. They can eat the native plant and animal life just fine, since it's their home planet. It's only incompatible with you because you aint from around there.

Besides, that's not the point. The point is what you would do.

 

[Armored Prayer]

I'll take my chances and just eat the alien plants.

I'd rather be poisoned or whatever than killing the innocent natives.

 

[PureChaos]

try and find something else to eat, i'd only go eating the natives as a last resort. i'd find out who society would be better off without (the alien equivalent of chavs!) and eat them

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

I don't know, I mean, how would I know that they were edible if the native plant and animal life wasn't. They'd probably be composed of the same basic compounds. I'd probably just eat a little native plant every day until adapted or died.

 

[crudus]

I would eat the animal life closest to the natives. Actually, I would probably die horribly while being studied by the natives.

 

[Talshere]

So what are the natives eating?

Alien planet. Alien biology is, by definition, alien. They can eat the native plant and animal life just fine, since it's their home planet. It's only incompatible with you because you aint from around there.

Besides, that's not the point. The point is what you would do.

Most of the indigenous life is arsenic in origin, the natives, who are the only "normal" carbon based life, have developed an organ that streams the arsenic from their system. Everyone should know arsenic is highly toxic to us.

By this means it possible the only food available to you are the only other carbon life forms....IE, them.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

i'd try to find fresh corpses. it wouldn't technically be cannibalism, and this way i wouldn't have to murder. they probably would still not be happy with me...
on the other hand, i really don't know. starvation can make people crazy, so i can't dogmatically say i would or would not kill and eat them.

 

[CloudKiller]

In a situation like this I'd have to think what my opinion would be if the situation were reversed and I'd say that I would allow them to eat the anyone that died. It's just the same as a dead person giving their organs to same someones life except in this case it's their flesh. We're all eaten by things when we die any way so I don't see why there would be any difference on who eats us.

So my answer is that if allowed to by the natives I would eat the dead however I wouldn't kill an innocent sapient life form to save my own life, my life is no more important than theres.

 

[Bobic]

Could I not eat the corpses of already deceased natives?

EDIT: Yay ninja'd twice.

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

So what are the natives eating?

Alien planet. Alien biology is, by definition, alien. They can eat the native plant and animal life just fine, since it's their home planet. It's only incompatible with you because you aint from around there.

Besides, that's not the point. The point is what you would do.

Most of the indigenous life is arsenic in origin, the natives, who are the only "normal" carbon based life, have developed an organ that streams the arsenic from their system. Everyone should know arsenic is highly toxic to us.

By this means it possible the only food available to you are the only other carbon life forms....IE, them.

I would go through their courts and plead my case, asking for permission to consume their dead. If they are actually as intelligent as you say, then they wouldn't have any silly rituals involving their dead and would be okay with this. It'd be like being an organ donor.

 

[Zacharine]

So what are the natives eating?

This pretty much is the answer.

But assuming the illogical scenario that they really are the only thing edible to me on the planet, the next question is: are they sapient?

If not, they are animals and it's no different than eating a cow, a pig or a dog.

If they are sapient, no. I'll in fact commit suicide, to stave off the rather horrible and prolonged death by starvation.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I would eat them, but only the women and children...

i have to think out of the box, lest I be Ninja'd most horribly...

 

[Talshere]

So what are the natives eating?

Alien planet. Alien biology is, by definition, alien. They can eat the native plant and animal life just fine, since it's their home planet. It's only incompatible with you because you aint from around there.

Besides, that's not the point. The point is what you would do.

Most of the indigenous life is arsenic in origin, the natives, who are the only "normal" carbon based life, have developed an organ that streams the arsenic from their system. Everyone should know arsenic is highly toxic to us.

By this means it possible the only food available to you are the only other carbon life forms....IE, them.

I would go through their courts and plead my case, asking for permission to consume their dead. If they are actually as intelligent as you say, then they wouldn't have any silly rituals involving their dead and would be okay with this. It'd be like being an organ donor.

Just because they have an organ, granted to them through evolution, not science, doesnt necessarily mean they are advanced. If they were as advanced as us. Using you are a model, they could likely build synthetic food capable of sustaining you.