If you were given the opportunity to do something really bad just to see what it was like, then after you did it the whole world was put back to where it was before you did it (no harm done). Would you do any of the following?

I kind of need to know what 'really bad' is -- or maybe that's part of the question (oh, so it is. . .). I also hate to be a stick but, the question is kind of ill-posed -- "the whole world put back the way it was before" it's not even clear to me how to CONCEIVE of that sort of thing, metaphysically, so I really can't answer -- because you diddle the metaphysical foundation of things, that affects the ethical. Now, if it were some super-duper Virtual-Reality world thing where it was nigh-indistinguishable from reality and I could simulate knocking over a liquor store, or capturing fraternity boys and subjecting them to humiliating and protracted sexual torture -- then yes, strap me in. But there you've removed the weight of consequence and sanction because you'd still *know* that it wasn't real. Even though the question is flawed in the way I describe, this is still an excellent thought-provoker. Ah, but now you've got me wondering -- is the only reason I don't do these things out of fear of sanction? I'll have to think on that

There is a part of me that is curious, though when it comes right down to it, I don't think I could actually go through with it. Also, I know that it would disturb me and probably corrupt me in ways I simply don't want to know about.

Y'know, I kind of surprised myself by realizing that no, I wouldn't do any of these things, nor could I think of others I would do, under these circumstances. I guess that I believe that in order for one of these acts to become desirable I'd have to want to accomplish something by it and that wouldn't be the case here. And I can't help but believe that *I* would be changed by that experience and I would not want to be a person who did these things.

None of these things are appealing to me. It might be fun to go nuts in a china shop with a baseball bat under these conditions, but nothing that involves human suffering.

I said that I would kill myself. That way I can finally test the theory that there is no God. Also, I think that even if the world was put back, you'd still have the memory of causing suffering to so many people. Whether people feel that somehow this reaction of time alleviates guilt and responsibility is interesting; however, I believe that it does not.

see the thing is 'to see what it is like' - does this imply i'd remember and then when everything was returned to 'normal' i'd remained changed? then everything wouldn't be returned and my experience would continue to effect me. there isn't anyway out of responsibility, and even if there was i wouldn't want it. part of experiencing something is also experiencing how it shapes you in the context of your life.

I get really high and just what ever happened happened!

i've done the sleeping with someone other than my current partner thing. it was bad, but not for the reasons you're thinking of. i don't think it was particularly harmful. when i say it was bad, i mean that it wasn't much fun because i picked the wrong person to do it with. in the "other" department: i would do some dangerous illegal drugs that i hadn't done before. like heroin and cocaine.

This site needs more questions of this quality. Damn good job.

oh yeah. if it wouldnt hurt anyone in *reality* why not?

I don't think that sleeping with a different partner is as bad as any of the others, I don't think it's necessarily "really bad", but I would do that

Bad things (the things that "are" bad for me), aren't not much fun for me. I don't do things that aren't fun for me, so, I don't want to do anything more that what I'm already doing... fortunately, all the things I like to do aren't illegal (except perhaps smoking cannabis...;).

If the whole world was put back - it wouldn't feel the same as if you did it "for real" now, would it? And of course, this itself is ridiculous, since you are part of the world, and if you were allowed to remember, you wouldn't be the same either.

I might start a big food fight at a formal dinner party or something, but I would never think of hurting or killing another person.

No I wouldn't do anything.

No thanks. Even if the world would be put back to the way it was before, I have no desire to do any of these things except the "sleeping with someone else" one, and even that would make me feel guilty anyway.

it disgusts me that someone would think of this.. but now that i've thought about it, it sounds kind of fun.. can we?

no damage done?? how about to yourself.. emotionally??

Y'know, maybe it's a character flaw but I'm not sure I want to look that far under the bed of my psyche.

huh...i doing something awful to someone else doesn't really hold much appeal for me. doing something horrible to me (ie killing myself) in itself is no more interesting, but if it would allow me to see what (if anything) happens next, then my curiousity must be satisfied. sleeping with someone other than current partner really doesnt seem to rank on the same awfulness scale as the others here. Trying some really horribly dangerous but supposedly fun drugs might be good too.

This question makes me very uneasy, but it also makes me do a lot of thinking. 90% of these are definite "no"s (the violent/criminal ones hold no appeal whatsoever, not even in the most hypothetical, academic sense. The worst I'd do is bash into a few particularly annoying Massachusetts drivers, just to see the looks on their faces as their idiocy failed to go unpunished. :)

Ick, ick, ick, ick, ick, and ick! (copying steve's comment from the 'what kind of hard liquor do you like?' One possibility would be to try unprotected sex...since I don't have a current partner, the 'I would sleep ..etc.' option doesn't apply, so I just stuck with "other" here.

I don't know, really. I checked 'kill myself', because I'm curious to find out what happens. It depends on whether I'd remember doing it once everything 'turned back to normal'.

'I zink ze kvestion tells us more about ze questioner dan about ourselfs!'

Wow...much more tempting than the usual "if you were sure not to be caught".

The answer is no. I wouldn't purposefully hurt someone unless I was in a blind rage. my control is such that I don't go into blind rages anymore. even if 'it was made all right' afterwards, reset button or whatever, I would still have the knowledge of it. it frightens me that I would even consider some of these.

I wouldn't do any of these at the moment. I might sleep with someone other than my current partner in principle, but at the moment there's no appealing candidate, and besides what would be the point? As for the rest of them, I suspect the residual effects on me would be negative, whatever might be true of the world... and again, what would be the point? I *might* conceivably kill myself just to get a definitive answer on the whole afterlife thing, but again, I'd likely be too concerned about the effects on my psyche.

I think I'd do something bad, but I could never hurt anybody. That would just feel too weird, also, after the rest of the world is changed back, would you forget too? I think I'd probably have sex with a bunch or random people. That would be fun.

I would steal a copy of every book I've wanted to read, every album I've wanted to listen to, every movie I've wanted to watch, but could never hope to afford. As for shoot and kill someone with a gun, I would kill Pat Robertson (for obvious reasons).

This question should disgust me, but it doesn't. And I think that scares me.

This is only supposing that what I did didn't actually happen, ie : it was a dream/fantasy. Excellent question !

Kill all of the Christians, Muslims, Hindus,
Jews, and Islams

Oh what fun!!!!!

Good question...I wouldn't do any of the above, in cases like that for me intent is as good as act and I have no intent.

I'd throw Brian from a moving train.

anon, what's the point? if the world wasn't put back the same afterwards on the other hand... ;)

I'd slowly tear Brian apart -- an ear here, a pinky there. It would be very pleasurable torturing Brian, even if he was put back together again after I was through.

Plus anon..... he'd probably take the entire incident and turn it around to garner some kind of attention for himself.

Yes, I would. Curiosity rules! Oh, yeah - and I wouldn't put "cheating on one's partner" in the same league with the rest of these at all, at all.