Topic: Probably the most deep thread ever posted here...

[UncleBob]

Okay, this is a hypothetical situation - so don't try to tear it apart with plotholes...

You just died.

You're standing in front of the Almighty God himself (or whatever is beyond here..)

(S)He's decided (for s/he works in mysterious ways) that s/he's going to reincarnate you.

Now, you've got to choose between to lives.

Both lives take place in the year 2099, in a post-apocalyptic world where there survives two cities in domes.

Each city is very similar in tech, values, knowledge, etc.  Outside the domes are instant death from the radiation created by the sun that is no longer filtered out by our atmosphere - which was desolated in the wars.

Inside each of the domes, there is no disease, no crime or violence - Plenty of things to do though.  Everyone is happy.

Now, the major difference between the two domes is this:

In the first dome, in order to keep the population under control, each year on January 1st, 100 people are put to death,  During the year, 100 babies are allowed to be born (if, perchance, someone died during the last year by other means aside from the yearly executions, one less person is executed at the beginning of the year - however, with the level of medical technology, this is very rare).  The 100 people who are put to death are anyone who's over 30 years old.  This way, you know exactly when you are going to die.

In the second dome, much like the first, the population is kept under control with 100 deaths each year on January 1st and 100 babies being born each year.  However, the big difference is that everyone's name is put into a computer that randomly (and without anyone being able to tamper with the results in any way, shape or form) picks 100 people from *any* age group - anyone from Little Timmy-12 who was just born yesterday on up to Old Man Wilson who's been lucky enough to avoid being drawn for 112 years!  This way, you haven't a clue when you're going to die - but you could possibly only live to be five or fifty...

Which do you pick?

[Bill Aurion]

I think both worlds suck, and I'd rather stay dead...

[nitsu niflheim]

Yeah, same with me.  You would probably be the one to get picked first so your new life is gone.  

[couchmonkey]

Logan's RUN!!!!  (I pick the 30 year old dome)
Wait, no, I pick the dome behind door number 3...oh it turns out to be the Mad Max Dome where chaos rules and only the fittest survive!  I'm unceremoniously run down by a Hummer with giant spikes poking out and "Have a nice day" written on the sides.

[Pale]

In the 30 year old dome are you saying that the 100 oldest people get executed each year?  Obviously that one.  With such a perfectly kept population count, everything lives the exact same amount of time with the exception of the lucky few who get to hang on because of murders and such.

Who would want to have a kid if at their 1 year birthday they could be executed?  That tugs at too many strings and creates too much stress.  Someone would be stupid to choose that.

[UncleBob]

Isn't that what could happen IRL, though? You could have a kid that dies tommrow or lives to be 100...
Do you *really* want to know exactly when you are going to die?

[Toruresu]

I would definately choose #2. It resembles real life the most and I might become a grandfather if I live long enough, that I could never have in dome #1. Also there's the advantage of history. Being told what happen is *always* better than reading it from a book, but reading a book and talking with the one who wrote it, now that's perfect.

[Pale]

Of course you do, it makes for a happier life...  And you still don't know exactly when you are going to die, as you could still be murdered at any time, or any other form death that could happen in 2099.

One thing you failed to say in your op is how many people live in the town...

100 people die per year, is that 100 out of 1000?  100 out of 10,000?  100 out of 10,000,000?  That could matter in the decision.  There is a certain level that the chance of dying would become statistically irrelevant.

These same statistics also come into play in the non random choice.

Man, now I'm confusing myself...

[JonLeung]

If in the first dome, there are lots of people, and it's simply the 100 oldest that are put to death, then that should be the better choice for most people.  If there are enough people then I don't see why being 30 years puts you in any kind of risk of execution.  It would be those people lucky enough to even make it to a hundred years, which I would imagine any major city (particuarly one with good futuristic health care, as you mentioned) could easily have a hundred of.  If not, there would definitely still be plenty of over-80-year-olds.

Need more details, otherwise this is a no-brainer.

[ShyGuy]

I start digging and become a mole person. Cleopatra 2525!

[Plugabugz]

47.

FORGET THE LOST NUMBERS. Look closely in Alias, Voyager, The Next Generation, Alias and (probably, but i'm stretching it) Andromeda and that number comes up in a manner of forms everywhere.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I'm with ShyGuy, I say we start a secret underground that isn't so secret. A huge underground city that connects each domed city with a series of tunnels and wide open caverns. A place for all those condemed to death that weren't ready to die.

[UncleBob]

I figure about 3,000 in each dome... btw

[Pale]

So every year in the random town, you have a 3.3% chance of death.

Now in the other town, assuming an equal distribution of ages and otherwise eternal life every single person would die at the age of 30.

Now, in the random town, after some math...

After 10 years, there is about a 29% chance you would have died.
After 20 years, there is about a 50% chance you would have died.
After 30 years, there is about a 64% chance you would have died.
After 40 years, there is about a 75% chance you would have died.
After 50 years, there is about a 82% chance you would have died.
and so on and so on...

Given this information, at 30, more often than not you would have already been dead.  It would follow that because at 20, the % is so close to 50, that the average life expectancy is close to 20.

Therefore, on average, you would live longer in the non random town so that is the better choice.

Feel free to prove my math wrong.

[Plugabugz]

47

[Pryopizm]

This is easy.  I'd become a programmer and rig the computer to erase my history and I'd use nanomachines to keep me looking young.  Then I'd have endless sex with Scarlett Johanssen

[UncleBob]

You can't reprogram the computer - I said the results couldn't be tampered with.  You cheated.  We're going to have to terminate you now.
Sorry, you fail.

[KnowsNothing]

Endless sex?  That would make quite a few parts of my daily routine quite awkward.

[IceCold]

Quote
Probably the most deep thread ever posted here..

Oh the irony..

[Hostile Creation]

The thirty year one.
That gives me plenty of time to corrupt and overthrow the utopian society.

[Infernal Monkey]

I'd pick the second, and hope to hell there's someone else out there that shares my name.  

[BlackNMild2k1]

sorry, same name only equals multiple execution, unless the drawing is done by identification #...

Its a population control thing, nothing personal