This article was published on May 2, 2018 and may be out of date. To maintain our historical record, The Cascade does not update or remove outdated articles.
Thought experiment: genocidal superbeing with reality-bending powers is sweeping across the universe with the intent of killing exactly half of all life so as to instill a “balance” that will allow more people a higher standard of living, as they won’t be competing over limited resources. Is he justified, or should you band together with your super-powered acquaintances to have an obligatory and lackluster battle over a period of like, three hours?
Both answers are wrong. You should address the central ideas and theoretical principles that underlie his plan of action. If there are limited resources, does that necessarily mean that overpopulation is the cause of hungry mouths and competition? No, of course not, as the superbeing mentions his solution will kill “rich and poor alike.” Well, there you have it: the rich by definition have more than they need, and the poor less. The solution isn’t culling, it’s redistributing so people have what they need, not what they can horde and compete over. Giving agency to everyone, not just the rich, the powerful, and the well-gauntleted. Socialism.
And that’s how you use logic to defeat your genocidal enemies.
Image: Amara Gelaude/The Cascade
