Ethics [Thursday, September 9, 2nd period]

[sith_happened]

"As you might remember from the syllabus I handed out last week," Anakin said as he leaned against his desk, "today's topic is lying. In Fandom, where multiple timelines meet and mingle, lying can be a terribly complex subject."

He gazed around the room. "We have students here from different centuries who by stepping foot onto the island learn immediately about electricity, electronics and reality television. Depending on societies they arrive from, they could learn about guns--or even the very concept of war--and change their worlds irrevocably."

Anakin began pacing. "Sometimes the situation is even more specific. Several years ago, a student arrived here who I knew--but I knew him as a Jedi Master I'd met when I was a small child. I also knew that his death, at least in my timeline, had been a violent one. A teacher I had used to say that the future is constantly in motion, but my experience with multiple timelines seems to show that certain large, galaxy changing events tend to stay constant. Did I have an obligation to tell this student about his future? Or do I respect his timeline and his ability to make his own decisions?"

He sat back down. "The questions today are these: if you have knowledge of the future, what parts would you lie about--even through omission--from someone further behind in the timeline? And if you met someone from your future, would you want to know anything about what you might face someday? Would you respect them for not telling you everything? Or even anything?"

Comments

Sign in [9/9]

[sith_happened]

Like a lying liar who lies.

Re: Sign in [9/9]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara

Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[sith_happened]

Marvel at the linguistic gymnastics Anakin used to torture the English language in order to talk about the future in hypothetical!

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

Oh, Cassidy was beginning to see more and more why this class was a favorite of both Karla's and Raven's. Professor Skywalker certainly made you think of more than just how things affected you personally. He would definitely probably fit in well if he visited Kaeleer.

She started taking notes again, but this time there was a line down the middle of the page. REASONS FOR and REASONS AGAINST were the headers on either side of the line.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[wrongkindofsith]

The topic of Anakin's lecture had Cara automatically bracing herself for Richard's speech on how he didn't believe in letting destiny or prophecy rule his or anyone else's life. She slouched lower in her seat when she remembered he wasn't actually here to give it.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[furnaceface]

The entire lecture was really a big helping of food for thought, for Jonothon. He'd met people through Fandom that were from his own past, after all. And he was certain that eventually, he'd stumble across one or two who knew his future, as well. For whatever reason, this island seemed to like picking on people from different corners of his reality, or at least ones that were disturbingly like it.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[give-areason.livejournal.com]

Rosalind was... well, it was entirely unfair to Professor Skywalker, it was, but she was beginning to hate this class as it hit far too close to several things she spent far too much time not-thinking-but-thinking about.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[talks-backwards.livejournal.com]

Zatanna had been...bitchslapped by her future. It didn't sound good, but dammit, it was pretty much what had meant it. Now, if someone could tell her when and when -and how- she was going to find her dad...or if she was going to, actually...

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Oof, verb tense hell. That was a little confusing, and this was all starting to trend way too close to sci-fi nerd, Return from the Past territory, so Kennedy was... not too inclined to take it all that seriously.

She got that it was a problem for other people-- Beka came to mind there, for one-- but that was other people's crazy worlds, right? Hers had to make more sense.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba had no idea, but the topic was very relavent to her. She pondered, though, thinking how it would apply to those who could see visions of the future.

There seemed a lot of responsibility. Both to let people know of potential dangers, but also to protect them from the pain of knowing, as well.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

William could certainly relate to the topic at hand- he was one such student from another century, who'd been spending nearly all of his free time learning about the advances in technology since his own time.

Re: Listen to the lecture [9/9]

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

James pondered.

It was a conundrum: should he want information as to what would possibly happen so as he could work to avoid it or bring about a better result, or trust that time would stay immutable?

Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[sith_happened]

"If you have knowledge of someone's future, what parts would you lie about--even through omission--from someone further behind in the timeline?"

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[furnaceface]

//I do have knowledge of th'future events of a few people I've run into, at least so far,// Jonothon admitted. //But none of them have ever really asked about any of it. I wouldn't know what good telling them any of it might do, at any rate. Why haunt them with possibilities, if it turns out there's nothing to be done to change any of it?//

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[give-areason.livejournal.com]

Rosalind's shoulders were very very straight.

Her thoughts, however, were conflicted. She was, after all, keeping some things from Zack, and yet she herself had knowledge of her own future.

"If they ask, tell them."

Rosalind didn't even know if she agreed with that. Not that her expression--carefully shut down--gave that way.

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara was not going to think about the fact that if she'd been slightly more forthcoming with why letting Richard destroy Rahl protected the Mord'Sith she mightn't have ended up left for dead at the bottom of a ravine, especially since it was equally likely her sisters knowing her reasons wouldn't have changed anything, or even made things worse.

These were thoughts she didn't have quite often.

Instead she shrugged. "Whatever's necessary." Which did bring up the question of what exactly counted as necessary.

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

"Why would I lie about it?" Kennedy asked-- not being belligerent, just honestly curious. "I mean, if I knew something about someone's future that could save their life someday, wouldn't it be pretty unethical of me to keep it to myself?"

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"I think the future isn't set in stone," Elphaba said. "Just because things happened one way for you does not mean they will happen the same way for someone in the past. And would it be better for them to live in fear of something that may not happen, then to live happily but unprepared? I... do not think I could make that decision."

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

"If it furthers my goals?" Or it was a Tuesday, or just as a joke, or even if she just felt like it... "I'd lie about everything."

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

Cassidy chewed on her lip as she thought about this one. Mother Night and may the Darkness have mercy, this was a hard one.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "Because telling them or not telling them could both be a blade's edge. What if you not telling them causes something to change and it undoes their future -- and maybe affects something that was good and needed because of what they did in the future? On the other side of the argument, what if telling them makes them overly arrogant and they make a mistake earlier on and still undo the future that you knew." She shook her head. "Mother Night. There is no clear or easy answer on this one."

Re: Answer the first discussion question [9/9]

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall shrugged. "What would be the point?" Either of lying, or of deliberately volunteering information? All the time travel stuff was too complicated anyway, and none of it really made sense. If someone asked, he'd probably answer.

Answer the second discussion question [9/9]

[sith_happened]

"If you met someone from your future, would you want to know anything about what you might face someday? Would you respect them for not telling you everything? Or even anything?"

Re: Answer the second discussion question [9/9]

[give-areason.livejournal.com]

Rosalind's face shut down further. She might have been carved from stone for all that her expression gave away--even if that, in itself, gave away her disquiet.

"I asked."

And her voice was crisp, cool, and professional. Those two words said enough, didn't they?

Talk to the TAs [9/9]

[sith_happened]

Cassidy and Kennedy are here for all of your "wtf is he talking about" needs.

Re: Talk to the TAs [9/9]

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

It's possible that Cassidy might still be a little cheerful as she was carefully considering every detail of the discussion questions, but she was definitely willing to help others figure them out, too.

Talk to Anakin [9/9]

[sith_happened]

Anakin is here for questions you might have about this lesson that aren't in the realm of the hypothetical.

He'd been thinking about this a lot. There was a ticking clock in his head counting down how much time Alderaan still had.

OOC

[sith_happened]

This took entirely too long to write.

Re: OOC

[brat-intraining.livejournal.com]

Kennedy totally thinks she'll never need this.

...ahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa.