• Benj96
    2.3k
    In this hypothetical scenario, I ask you to place yourself in the shoes of some form of supreme being, whatever that may be or mean to you.

    So, supposing you were a deity, what would you do and why?

    What would be your characteristics? As in how would you define yourself? And what would be your motives? Would you be an active force in the world/reality or merely a passive observer?
  • frank
    16k
    Probably sit around reading a book.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    So you'd be a personified God/in human form? Why did you choose to be human or "human-seeming" in this scenario?

    Would you have no qualities beyond human ones? And if so, what in your understanding qualifies the title of a God? What would the distinction be from just a regular person? What sets you apart or would your "God" concept be literally "just a person" and thus apply to everyone equally.
  • BitconnectCarlos
    2.3k
    Presumably God has a much higher level of consciousness than humans so it would be impossible trying to "put myself in the shoes" of God. It would be like asking an ant to imagine itself as Einstein. The universe is different depending on one's level of consciousness and I cannot imagine myself at that state. It seems to be that the biblical God is just the highest/all encompassing level of consciousness/awareness.
  • Igitur
    74
    I would probably continue to do whatever that deity is doing, assuming this God is omniscient (as it would have some reason to do or not do something, and I would follow the same reasoning). If it's just an omnipotent God, my first step would probably be exploration, figuring out my new nature, the rules of the universe, how I became a God, etc.
  • T Clark
    14k
    If you were God, what would you do?Benj96

    I'd send anyone who intentionally killed, tortured, seriously hurt, or abused a child to North Korea permanently. Oh, and Dr. Phil too.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    Yes that's all very well and said. But my question wasn't to exact a perfect and irrefutable definition of a God beyond human comprehension regardless of whether that exists or doesnt.

    It was an exercise to put forth your best "human based" description of a God to the best of your ability. The hypothetical was about creating a paradigm for such a being based on how any individual might qualify it in their own words.

    If you don't want to, that's fine. But I don't see the point in posting a response which can be essentially reduced to "I can't". It offers nothing to debate based on the hypothetical.
  • BitconnectCarlos
    2.3k


    Well, before I did anything I'd need to know what happens after death. Do humans respawn or reincarnate after death? If so then I'd feel much less guilty about their deaths. Anyway, what I do with my newfound Sims would depend on my daily moods.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    I would probably continue to do whatever that deity is doing, assuming this God is omniscient (as it would have some reason to do or not do something, and I would follow the same reasoning).Igitur

    So in this instance, you replace something that already existed rather than always being that thing from the get go/start? You say "continue" to do whatever that deity is doing.

    So in this case your "God" concept is a particular state or thing separate to you that can be unified with, or from which you can take over responsibility/definition?

    How would u say this pre-existant and you are separated? And how would you go about reaching towards and becoming it?
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    Well, before I did anything I'd need to know what happens after death. Do humans respawn or reincarnate after death? If so then I'd feel much less guilty about their deaths. Anyway, what I do with my newfound Sims would depend on my daily moods.BitconnectCarlos

    Well, by offering you the full freedom of defining a God in absolutely any capacity that you desire, I would assume the question of "whether humans respawn or reincarnate after death" is entirely your decision ie up to you.

    So if you needed to know this critical information before doing anything - as you said, depending on how you qualify your deity entity this "need" can be entirely within reach. The definition you make is not limited in that sense.

    What might you do with your "sims" based on your daily moods? And why would you experience days or even moods per se? Would your God concept be human in the sense of experiencing days and moods?
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    I'd send anyone who intentionally killed, tortured, seriously hurt, or abused a child to North Korea permanently.T Clark

    I see, so as I understand, as a God you would hold the life and wellbeing of children in higher regard to any adult? Why is that exactly? What makes children's lives more worthy than any other (adult persons) according to you?

    Would North Korea remain the same size regardless of how many people are sent there eventually leading to overpopulation, starvation and death. Or would North Korea's terrority expand to accommodate your accumulating mass of condemned people?

    Would North Korea gain power and economic prosperity from the influx of forced immigration? Would the world eventually end up being all "North Korea?" After its population explodes and it conquers other countries by sheer numbers alone?
  • javi2541997
    5.9k
    I'd send anyone who intentionally killed, tortured, seriously hurt, or abused a child to North Korea permanently.T Clark

    Hmm... Perhaps that anyone sees North Korea as an opportunity rather than a punishment. Regarding killers and abusers, we can't really never know.

    If you were God, what would you do?
    @Benj96

    Probably nothing. It is the only way I could keep living in the hopes and desires of believers. Their needed belief that X could happen anytime is what myself – as God – would make me alive.
  • T Clark
    14k
    as a God you would hold the life and wellbeing of children in higher regard to any adult?Benj96

    Not necessarily in higher regard, but the most vulnerable are due the greatest protection.

    Would North Korea remain the same size regardless of how many people are sent there eventually leading to overpopulation, starvation and death. Or would North Korea's terrority expand to accommodate your accumulating mass of condemned people?

    Would North Korea gain power and economic prosperity from the influx of forced immigration? Would the world eventually end up being all "North Korea?" After its population explodes and it conquers other countries by sheer numbers alone?
    Benj96

    I'm God, for God's sake. Don't pester me with details and logistics.
  • T Clark
    14k
    Hmm... Perhaps that anyone sees North Korea as an opportunity rather than a punishment. Regarding killers and abusers, we can't really never know.javi2541997

    Careful, don't piss God off. Maybe I'll send them to Spain instead. You know what? I'm definitely going to send Dr. Phil to Spain.
  • Fooloso4
    6.2k
    I ask you to place yourself in the shoes of some form of supreme being, whatever that may be or mean to you.Benj96

    Get some new shoes?
  • Igitur
    74
    So in this instance, you replace something that already existed rather than always being that thing from the get go/start?Benj96
    That’s what the OP sounded like it was asking to me.
    So in this case your "God" concept is a particular state or thing separate to you that can be unified with, or from which you can take over responsibility/definition?Benj96
    Yes, that’s the assumption.
    How would u say this pre-existant and you are separated? And how would you go about reaching towards and becoming it?Benj96

    We are separated by our histories.
    I would reach towards, but I wouldn’t need to try to become it, as we would be completely different in the ways I would prefer and similar in our abilities.
  • Paine
    2.5k

    A lot of stories about Supreme Beings include reports of what happens when you get too uppity. I am inclined to err on the side of caution.
  • frank
    16k
    So you'd be a personified God/in human form? Why did you choose to be human or "human-seeming" in this scenario?Benj96

    It's fun being human. Don't you think so?

    Would you have no qualities beyond human ones? And if so, what in your understanding qualifies the title of a God? What would the distinction be from just a regular person? What sets you apart or would your "God" concept be literally "just a person" and thus apply to everyone equally.Benj96

    I would secretly be everything.
  • Sir2u
    3.5k
    If I were to become a god, oh what fun I could have.
    Day one: invent and construct a universe with plenty of planets and fill them with plenty of people, or maybe just dogs, cats and capybara. Then have a beer and watch the sun go down.

    Day two: Go back and make sure that everyone stays healthy for the whole of there lives and give them a kill switch for when they don't want to continues. Then have a beer and watch the sun go down.

    Day three: Give everyone all of the knowledge they need to live the life they want. Then have a beer and watch the sun go down.

    Day four: Have a walkabout to get to know the people. Then have a beer with them and watch the sun go down.

    Day five: Have a meeting with they whole world, or worlds, to ascertain if the people are happy and if they have any other needs or wants. I would probably have to deny some motivational quirks like heaven and hell, too many jobsworth involved. Then I would have to invite everyone to have a beer.

    Day six: get the biggest, highest quality, flat screen for my pad. Then have a few beers and watch the biggest, best reality show that I created and laugh my ass off.

    Day seven: Probably stay in bed with a stomachache from all of the laughing I did. Then get a pizza for lunch.

    Day one, week two: Now what the fuck am I going to do now?
  • javi2541997
    5.9k
    You know what? I'm definitely going to send Dr. Phil to Spain.T Clark

    Dr. Phil is definitely welcome here; at least he exists, unlike deities like God. I hope Dr. Phil had a fantastic time in Mallorca or Almería. I'll let you know whether he does "guiri" things or not.

    I'll try to keep him safe from anti-tourist riots, by the way.

    Careful, don't piss God off. Maybe I'll send them to Spain instead.T Clark

    God abandoned us a long time ago...
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    Probably nothing. It is the only way I could keep living in the hopes and desires of believers. Their needed belief that X could happen anytime is what myself – as God – would make me alive.javi2541997

    I think i see what you mean. So long as you do nothing, believers in your existence are free to imagine or contemplate your true nature? I suppose if you take any certain/exact definition it probably wouldnt satisfy every believers desires, hopes and dreams. You would effectively become impersonal, no longer a unique concept in everyone's minds. In a way that is a sort of death - a death of the diversity of personal understandings.

    The phrase "Never meet you heroes" comes to mind -a sort of disappointment or dissatisfaction between the dissonance of the imagined and the actual.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    It's fun being human. Don't you think so?frank

    It is.

    I would secretly be everything.frank

    Interesting. What I gather from this is you would have some sort of duality in your existence. On one side you would be a singular thing (human) and on the other end of the scale you would be everything (secretly).

    How would you sustain this secrecy, this pseudo-separation? Would it be in the paradoxes, contradictions and delineations between things or selves. Is it the free will of others and diversity of opinions, the non-accordnace of individuals that masks your double nature?
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    A lot of stories about Supreme Beings include reports of what happens when you get too uppity. I am inclined to err on the side of caution.Paine

    Very true. You'd certainly run into problems if you were a physical/tangible God. For example if you were a God on this planet you would likely make enemies very quickly and be harassed, defamed, accused, begged, assaulted due to everything that makes us human -desire for answers, desperation, jealousy, ego and narcissism, the rat race for power and authority.

    So if you were a supreme being on earth I'd ve very concerned for your wellbeing personally.

    Perhaps existing in anonymity is the more responsible/cautious choice.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    We are separated by our histories.
    I would reach towards, but I wouldn’t need to try to become it, as we would be completely different in the ways I would prefer and similar in our abilities.
    Igitur

    Interesting. So you'd keep some distance basically. Reach towards or approach it (perhaps through communing or contemplating) but would never fully embrace/become it -keeping those distinctions between you that are preferable and desired whilst acknowledging your similarities on a personal level?

    Correct me if I'm wrong. Just here trying to interpret as best I can.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    I'm God, for God's sake. Don't pester me with details and logistics.T Clark

    I guess that in itself is quite revealing/illuminating.

    You would be constantly pestered for details and logistics by not only me but everyone else, if you were indeed God and we could speak to you. Universal management does sound exhausting. Better you than I haha.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    Sounds like a boozy beer fest. I'm in.

    Give everyone all of the knowledge they need to live the life they want.Sir2u

    Do you think the disparity between how much knowledge any individual desires would cause issues? Perhaps person A wants omniscience and Person B wants just enough knowledge to survive in blissful ignorance. How do you resolve privacy issues, intellectual property etc when some people know almost everything and others know little.

    : Have a meeting with they whole world, or worlds, to ascertain if the people are happy and if they have any other needs or wantsSir2u

    Do you think everyone would feel happy being provided with everything they could possibly want? Do you think things would lose value, boredom would kick in? Do you think people would still have a sense of purpose or motivation to work towards anything? Perhaps some people will always be unhappy regardless of what you offer them?

    Day one, week two: Now what the fuck am I going to do now?Sir2u

    Haha. An important statement. Would you get bored with your limitless abilities and time? Would there be a certain angst or dread that you did so much in 1 week and have billions or maybe trillions of years left on whatever clock you decide. What might you do differently if you were disenfranchised with being this being forever?
  • T Clark
    14k
    You would be constantly pestered for details and logistics by not only me but everyone else, if you were indeed God and we could speak to you. Universal management does sound exhausting.Benj96

    Four things 1) I would be omnipotent 2) I would be omniscient 3) 4) I wouldn't care what you thought or wanted.
  • T Clark
    14k
    Dr. Phil is definitely welcome herejavi2541997

    Do you know who Dr. Phil is? He's pure evil.

    God abandoned us a long time ago...javi2541997

    No. You're thinking of Franco.
  • Benj96
    2.3k
    Four things 1) I would be omnipotent 2) I would be omniscient 3) 4) I wouldn't care what you thought or wantedT Clark

    That's three things.
    Are you omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and indifferent or does omnipresence not take part in this tetrad?
  • Paine
    2.5k

    You are reversing the power relationship involved. In Genesis, we were thrown out of the Garden after we tried to become equal to God. Similar smackdown happened with the tower of Babel.
    Icarus did not pack enough sunscreen. Prometheus got nailed to a cliffside.

    As the Reverend Dirty Harry said: "A man has to learn his limitations."
  • frank
    16k
    Interesting. What I gather from this is you would have some sort of duality in your existence. On one side you would be a singular thing (human) and on the other end of the scale you would be everything (secretly).Benj96

    Exactly!

    How would you sustain this secrecy, this pseudo-separation? Would it be in the paradoxes, contradictions and delineations between things or selves.Benj96

    Yes!

    Is it the free will of others and diversity of opinions, the non-accordnace of individuals that masks your double nature?Benj96

    Yes. Villain-victim, parent-child, husband-wife, rich-poor, etc. But I think the biggest is villain-victim. There's soooo much emotion fueling that relationship.
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