Poll: If you had the ability to take over the world would you?
- Thread starter Epicspoon
- Start date
Recommended Videos
In short no, I would not. I do not believe one person can rule the world well, if for no other reason than nobody is forever, and even if your an absolutely perfect leader, there is no guarantee that another equally great leader will come along after you to shoulder the burden.Epicspoon said:
*IF* I had power sufficient to rule the world, I would rather use that power to unify the world and ultimately create a government I felt was capable of running things on it's own. This being done with the full understanding that creating a utopia is impossible, and that no matter what I did tons of people were not going to like it.
Of course the how matters as well. If I'm in theory able to rule the world because I have the powers of say Superman sans the weaknesses, and no other super beings to compete with me, I'm unlikely to even try the above. See, I'm one of those people that long ago came to the depressing realization that the world can only be made a better place in the long term, and the first step in doing that is to pretty much get rid of 90% of the population followed by enforcing stringent population controls. A much lower population, combined with a single world government and meta-culture, would solve most major issues, and allow humanity to start expanding into space earnestly, where we could then allow our population to increase as we gradually obtained more resources and colonies. I've gone into this in detail before. The thing is though that this is the kind of thing humanity sort of has to do on it's own, a good number of people need to come to this realization and make it happen (enough to act on a societal level even if not even close to a majority) as opposed to it being literally at the hands of one person. When it comes to the big picture the difference between a strong leader and a murdering psychopath can be a fine one, but it's one that does exist. Some things an individual cannot simply choose to do.
HOWEVER if I say had the genius and technology of Superman, or any one of a number of super-genius characters and was working that way as opposed to through pure, physical, might, things could change substantially. After all with things like matter replicators resource problems could be solved overnight, I could just give people space travel as opposed
to needing to create an environment where it could be developed, and similar things. I wouldn't create a utopia by any means but I could present the means for humanity to stop fighting over resources, and expand it's population throughout the universe, terraforming planets as it went. There would be no need for things as depressing as what I mentioned above.
Either way though, I would be unlikely to declare myself "God Emperor Therumancer, supreme ruler of humanity". I'm just not that good, no one person is. Besides, as I pointed out, even if I was, what happens when I finally die (nothing is forever) and someone else needs to take over? If I'm all that, it would be irresponsible to make the world too dependent on me.
Of course.
Unite the world and split research into food production, terraforming, and space exploration. Solve global hunger, solve global warming, solve overcrowding.
I'd probably open my own fast food joint in competition with the current ones to combat global hunger, with my own food chain I can alter any aspect and make a profit to fund other ventures. Obviously it's going to be dirt cheap food though since poor and hunger usually go hand in hand.
Terraforming would solve global warming as afore mentioned and allow us to colonize other planets easier, granted this is going to take a lot longer but I got time.
Space exploration for more land and hopefully increase chances of extraterrestrial contact. We could learn a lot from visiting other planets and stuff ESPECIALLY if we land on a habitable one, so much of our technology is adapted from nature, just imagine what we could reproduce if we saw creatures from another planet?
Unite the world and split research into food production, terraforming, and space exploration. Solve global hunger, solve global warming, solve overcrowding.
I'd probably open my own fast food joint in competition with the current ones to combat global hunger, with my own food chain I can alter any aspect and make a profit to fund other ventures. Obviously it's going to be dirt cheap food though since poor and hunger usually go hand in hand.
Terraforming would solve global warming as afore mentioned and allow us to colonize other planets easier, granted this is going to take a lot longer but I got time.
Space exploration for more land and hopefully increase chances of extraterrestrial contact. We could learn a lot from visiting other planets and stuff ESPECIALLY if we land on a habitable one, so much of our technology is adapted from nature, just imagine what we could reproduce if we saw creatures from another planet?
Yes. first steps would involve getting a small group of loyal followers who are completely devoted, sublimating as many government 'arms' as possible. Taking over a 'weak' country or one that isn't known for military actions is key. Build them up make them stronger then branch out. Through peaceful means, make your country a bastion prove your methods work. Then you make the rest of the world fall apart. You won't have to take when it is offered.
I would, but for your sanity's sake, you'd need to do it covertly n manage only the important things from behind the scenes. Its that or all the worlds scientist had better start genetically engineering a way for me to control fire, electricity or something.
Obviously, yes.
Someday someone will have to take over the world and unite humanity under a single banner.
Preferably before we start colonizing space.
Otherwise one group will start monopolizing space, leaving the others on earth to die with the planet or we end up in some sort of space war and wipe eachother out there.
Or we never make it to colonizing space at all because of having separate groups (countries) and end up extinct with the planet.
So when... I mean if I take over the world, I'll probably start putting more resources into space programs intent on colonizing space, be it with planets, space stations or colony ships that can support enough people to have enough genetic diversity to go to make it to another planet over the course of multiple generations.
We'll start with sending telephone sanitizers and hairdressers.
Someday someone will have to take over the world and unite humanity under a single banner.
Preferably before we start colonizing space.
Otherwise one group will start monopolizing space, leaving the others on earth to die with the planet or we end up in some sort of space war and wipe eachother out there.
Or we never make it to colonizing space at all because of having separate groups (countries) and end up extinct with the planet.
So when... I mean if I take over the world, I'll probably start putting more resources into space programs intent on colonizing space, be it with planets, space stations or colony ships that can support enough people to have enough genetic diversity to go to make it to another planet over the course of multiple generations.
Probably would, but it would end in genocide. No matter what your title is, or what position you hold you'll never get everyone on the planet to agree or get along with each other. It just won't happen, and there's no scientific method of enlightening people. And being a dictator doesn't help. So in frustration with everyone's inability to get along I'd most likely unleash hell on the planet and whatever survives deserves to have whats left or kill each other for it.
So yeah I would take over, but it wouldn't do a damn bit of good and I doubt the rest of you could honestly do any better.
So yeah I would take over, but it wouldn't do a damn bit of good and I doubt the rest of you could honestly do any better.
So your goal is to take control of the world and then immediately make yourself incapable of maintaining said control. Interesting.fenrizz said:
No. Wasn't the point of the story of Atlantis that no one person can or should rule the world? That in the end it would end up being a bad thing? I would say the have a point.
Yes.
Because short of LAUNCHING ALL THE NUKES! I doubt I could do any worse then the current crop of elected/un-elected/gun-totting/paper-pushing morons currently making a hash job of it. (And I can bet you that I will stuff up at some-point).
Because short of LAUNCHING ALL THE NUKES! I doubt I could do any worse then the current crop of elected/un-elected/gun-totting/paper-pushing morons currently making a hash job of it. (And I can bet you that I will stuff up at some-point).
If I cannot fail, I would do it in the most ridiculous way I could think of. I mean, I was already planning on world domination through an army of attack ferrets, but this offers some serious potential.
And then....I'd probably abdicate. Absolute power disinterests me. I don't have the attention span for it. I might play with it for a couple days (mandatory gay marriage, international Justin Bieber Day[footnote]yes, I'm a monster[/footnote]), and then I'd probably forget about it.
And then....I'd probably abdicate. Absolute power disinterests me. I don't have the attention span for it. I might play with it for a couple days (mandatory gay marriage, international Justin Bieber Day[footnote]yes, I'm a monster[/footnote]), and then I'd probably forget about it.
I'd absolutely take over.
That said, I'd not be stupid enough to think I could rule.
I'd mostly be redistributing funding, shutting down things that get out of hand, and demanding that other things be enacted.
How those things are enacted will be up to experts.
If they fail, they get stripped of power.
Basically I'd just be an anti-bullshit enforcer.
Good god, I'd eliminate so much reality TV, and there'd be major consequences for willful/obvious bullshit in the news. That'd pretty much be step one.
That said, I'd not be stupid enough to think I could rule.
I'd mostly be redistributing funding, shutting down things that get out of hand, and demanding that other things be enacted.
How those things are enacted will be up to experts.
If they fail, they get stripped of power.
Basically I'd just be an anti-bullshit enforcer.
Good god, I'd eliminate so much reality TV, and there'd be major consequences for willful/obvious bullshit in the news. That'd pretty much be step one.
I thought the point of the story of Atlantis was not to ignore the flooding in the basement.Eddie the head said:
Yes, absolutely.
You'd be amazed how many of the world's problems are caused by the powerful's motive for profit.
You'd be amazed how many of the world's problems are caused by the powerful's motive for profit.
Define taking over the world.
How would I manage everything? Would I become the head of every state
If so that still probably wouldn't even make me the most powerful person on earth (though I'd make it to the top 10).
The world isn't really ruled by one organization or person in particular at the moment, but yeah there are a lot of people with great power who're not using it to better the world. But to say I could rule it better? That'd really depend on what kind of people I could employ. I lack skills and knowledge on many relevant fields to actually rule everything that happens in the world. So I'd need a big group of trustworthy and skillful people. But if I can get such a team, than I should also be able to get someone trustworthy and skillful to lead the world for me.
How would I manage everything? Would I become the head of every state
If so that still probably wouldn't even make me the most powerful person on earth (though I'd make it to the top 10).
The world isn't really ruled by one organization or person in particular at the moment, but yeah there are a lot of people with great power who're not using it to better the world. But to say I could rule it better? That'd really depend on what kind of people I could employ. I lack skills and knowledge on many relevant fields to actually rule everything that happens in the world. So I'd need a big group of trustworthy and skillful people. But if I can get such a team, than I should also be able to get someone trustworthy and skillful to lead the world for me.
Well, it depends how safe I am. I mean, I'm inevitably going to be hated regardless of what I do; 7 billion people, one of them is going to try and kill me. But if I'm safe and people aren't going to be dicks about this, then sure, I've got nothing better going on.
Given that I'm the leader of the whole world, I guess I've got a duty to look after everyone as equally as possible. The developed world is going to get a pretty raw deal because I'm going to be focusing on redistributing wealth equally (as I said, people are going to want to kill me) around the world. Doing anything else seems inexcusably unfair in my opinion. There'd be a pretty big focus on environmentally friendly technology as well. I suppose in a lot of places I'll be building the infrastructure ground-up, so I may as well build it to last. Peoples at war or who have problems with eachother will be told a firm 'Calm the fuck down', forcibly, if needed. I'm sure it would be impossible, but it would be nice to quash all wars and rebellions so that we can focus on the important stuff, like feeding people.
Once all that important stuff is out of the way, I'll rein in the authoritarianism and pump resources into the arts and sciences because it's a fucking fantasy utopia. We'd get shit done and we'd be pretty awesome.
Given that I'm the leader of the whole world, I guess I've got a duty to look after everyone as equally as possible. The developed world is going to get a pretty raw deal because I'm going to be focusing on redistributing wealth equally (as I said, people are going to want to kill me) around the world. Doing anything else seems inexcusably unfair in my opinion. There'd be a pretty big focus on environmentally friendly technology as well. I suppose in a lot of places I'll be building the infrastructure ground-up, so I may as well build it to last. Peoples at war or who have problems with eachother will be told a firm 'Calm the fuck down', forcibly, if needed. I'm sure it would be impossible, but it would be nice to quash all wars and rebellions so that we can focus on the important stuff, like feeding people.
Once all that important stuff is out of the way, I'll rein in the authoritarianism and pump resources into the arts and sciences because it's a fucking fantasy utopia. We'd get shit done and we'd be pretty awesome.