If you had infinite power, is it possible to only do good?

[Fish Tank]

I was thinking about this with my friends. If you had special powers would you only use them to do good deeds? And not show off, or use your powers for personal gain?

Personally my view on the subject is that anyone with enough power will always be selfish.

lol Lets not get into a debate on whether a good deed can be selfless.

[Rei]

I tend to be of the opinion, where humans are involved, that absolute power corrupts absolutely. If I had a super-power, I would probably attempt to generally live as I have and let others live as they have.

[anonshadow]

The larger scale the operation, the more likely something is to go wrong. Special powers necessarily bring the possible ramifications to a greater height. Sooner or later, you would screw something up. It isn't even that power would pervert your intentions--it's that they say "keep the lie simple" for a reason.

[Sibyl]

I'm pretty confused by the question, because in the heading you asked about "infinite" power, and you'd definitely need infinite wisdom, too, like God, to control _everything_ and see what all the consequences would be, if you change one thing, and then there's the question of what "good" is. "One man's meat is another man's poison", and you might change something for one person's good, and provide something bad to another person--that kind of thing.

"Special powers", like a superhero, is another matter, but again there's the question of doing _only_ good, no matter how good your intentions might be.

[Dr. Mobius]

"With great power comes great responsibility."

[anonshadow]

Sibyl, I'm confused--why does great power mean that great wisdom follows it?

[mr_thebrain]

yeah, i mean, look at george bush!


sorry... couldn't resist.

i know that if i had infinite power i'd use it for personal gain before i used it to help others.

[Fish Tank]

lol I had two different questions is all.


Infinite power such as a president or prime minister. Or super power such as a super hero.

If there truly was a Spider-Man, would he really care about fighting criminals for the rest of his life?

Do presidents really care about the people? Other than to get votes?

[jotabe]

Now that makes better sense. Great power, not infinite one.
Because usually, the evil comes from greed, and from the fear that if one doesn't have all the power (or all the money) something could come and threaten you.
If you had infinite power, there would be nothing you could wish (no greed), and it would be impossible for anyone to threaten you in any way (you have infinite power)... so the only way someone could be evil would be if that person took pleasure in someone else's suffering.

[Sibyl]

Sibyl, I'm confused--why does great power mean that great wisdom follows it?

I should have expanded (and I was talking _infinite_, not "great" power), and didn't mean that the wisdom _followed_ it, but that if you were going to do _only_ good, you would need to have infinite wisdom with it, because without that, we can't extrapolate much at all of the consequences, so we'd most likely end up doing great evil while intending to do some good.

[Sibyl]

lol I had two different questions is all.


Infinite power such as a president or prime minister. Or super power such as a super hero.

If there truly was a Spider-Man, would he really care about fighting criminals for the rest of his life?

Do presidents really care about the people? Other than to get votes?

No president or prime minister or even absolute monarch or dictator has anything like infinite power. Did you ever read about King Canute and the tide? Or do you know the meaning of the word "infinite"?

[Slim]

What I believe is that infinite power is connected to the powers of heaven. If one had infinite power, they must use it for good -- otherwise heaven withdraws its influence, and the person no longer has infinite power.

It's hard enough for us when we gain a small ammount of power to use it for good. But it is possible -- it requires putting other's needs above ourselves. No, it doesn't mean giving into every demand, but doing what is best for others.

I think this is where the "great wisdom" you were talking about comes in. -- What really is "best" for others?

[hive_king]

If I had infinite powers, I'd still do what I do now- sit around and eat a lot of cheetos. I just wouldn't have to get up to go to the fridge, I could bring the fridge to me.

[Fish Tank]

No president or prime minister or even absolute monarch or dictator has anything like infinite power. Did you ever read about King Canute and the tide? Or do you know the meaning of the word "infinite"?

According to the dictionary, infinite means, "immeasurably great". Compared to the average person, I'd say the U.S. President's power is "immeasurably great".

[Rei]

The problem is that you are wrong. That or everyone has infinite power. We can say what areas of life the president can control. We can say how far the president's power may extend (although this does not always mean much, but that's a different topic). There are limits and we agree that there are limits. If, because the president may surprise us by doing something unexpected, you say that there is infinite power, then any individual also has infinite power.

So I would defer to the more accepted literal sense of the word, instead of a less rapidly assumed metaphorical meaning.

[Sibyl]

No president or prime minister or even absolute monarch or dictator has anything like infinite power. Did you ever read about King Canute and the tide? Or do you know the meaning of the word "infinite"?

According to the dictionary, infinite means, "immeasurably great". Compared to the average person, I'd say the U.S. President's power is "immeasurably great".

Nope! He has limits and checks and balances all over the place. At best, he can only try to persuade people to action. Look what happened to Clinton! He didn't even have the power to get a blow job in his office from a willing participant and get away with it, though he tried. Most average people wouldn't even have a problem with doing that, and probably not even with keeping it secret.

[Fish Tank]

So I would defer to the more accepted literal sense of the word, instead of a less rapidly assumed metaphorical meaning.

Erm "immeasurably great" is the first definition of infinite in the dictionary.....


Yes he does have limits, not saying he doesn't.

But how many people do you know who can send 20,000 people into a war zone? Anyone you know personally?

Any individual can achieve infinite power.

Clinton probably had 1,000 blow jobs in the oval office before he was "caught" and even then he still got away with perjury. Try lying on the witness stand and then admitting it. You're not going to get away with it.

How many people do you know who can pardon people on death row?

You aren't getting it. Compared to the power we have his power is immeasurable. We couldn't fathom having the power to decide whether or not an entire country gets bombed. How many people have died because of what he says?

Even if he is persuaded it's his word that counts. If you blame his cabinet, then you have to blame the American population for voting for him. Twice.

[hive_king]

Bush can't teleport, ergo his powers aren't infinite.

[Firegirl]

Thank some sort of deity, that the leaders of any nation in this world do not have infinite powers (Bush the 43rd pres. included). They would screw up the world infinitely worse than it already is. Infinite power is a moral neutral concept, that is it could be good or bad depending on the person or entity using the power.

[VelvetElvis]

If I had infinite powers, I'd still do what I do now- sit around and eat a lot of cheetos. I just wouldn't have to get up to go to the fridge, I could bring the fridge to me.

You keep your cheetos in the fridge? That's downright unAmerican.

[hive_king]

No, but i keep my soda in there.

[VelvetElvis]

Whatever. I know your secret.

[hive_king]

That secret. None of the really important ones.

[jotabe]

FT, immeasurable means that cannot be measured. The power of a president, even if it is far greater than mine, is perfectly measurable. Immeasurable means that it is arbitrarily large.

Infinite power means basically that you can do anything. If the US president orders the Sun to set in any certain moment, the Sun won't set, unless the conditions are appropriate (i.e., it's the sunset time).

[Fish Tank]

Well technically, according to the definitions; all power is infinite. Because you cannot measure something that is intangible.

Intangible = Incapable of being perceived by the senses.

or Incapable of being realized or defined.




Checks and Balances are a joke. You know why? When congress is republican and the Supreme Court is full of conservatives... they're going to act on the presidents ideals. It has happened throughout history. And if checks and balanced really worked, since the majority is now democrat; do you think we'd be sending more troops to Iraq? If anyone but the president actually had a say?

For god sakes, Presidents appoint the Supreme Court Judges.

I still don't think you guys are getting what "infinite" means, and are just falling back on the definition you learned when you were kids. Infinity +1.

[jotabe]

Numbers are infinite: i can't think of a highest number.
President's powers are finite: i can think of a great deal of things that a president cannot do (for example, a president can't fly just by wishing it, without mechanical aid).

Power is something very defined: it's the ability to do something. So infinite power is the ability to do anything. Everheard of omnipotence? now that's infinite power.

[Fish Tank]

The number example is what I was referring to when I said, I still don't think you guys are getting what "infinite" means, and are just falling back on the definition you learned when you were kids. Infinity +1.

You aren't reading the definitions; words dohave more than one meaning.


The second definition of power, "political or national strength". The president has immeasurably great political and national strength. Or infinite power.

Can you honestly even suggest that you can measure how much political power the president has? It goes far beyond the Constitution. Ever been to a city where the president was staying?

[Jebus]

Stop being f***ing stupid, FT. You can't say how much power he has because there isn't a measure for it. But just because something doesn't have an exact way of being measured doesn't mean it's immeasurable. You can measure the president's power against that of someone else's for example (therefore, not immeasurable). Bush has far less power to control his own country than Hitler did. So that would mean Hitler had more than infinite powers?

I don't know how you even retardedly stumbled your way through to this opinion since the simple fact that there are things that he can't do proves he doesn't have infinite power.

[Sibyl]

So I would defer to the more accepted literal sense of the word, instead of a less rapidly assumed metaphorical meaning.

Erm "immeasurably great" is the first definition of infinite in the dictionary.....


Yes he does have limits, not saying he doesn't.

But how many people do you know who can send 20,000 people into a war zone? Anyone you know personally?

Any individual can achieve infinite power.

Clinton probably had 1,000 blow jobs in the oval office before he was "caught" and even then he still got away with perjury. Try lying on the witness stand and then admitting it. You're not going to get away with it.

How many people do you know who can pardon people on death row?

You aren't getting it. Compared to the power we have his power is immeasurable. We couldn't fathom having the power to decide whether or not an entire country gets bombed. How many people have died because of what he says?

Even if he is persuaded it's his word that counts. If you blame his cabinet, then you have to blame the American population for voting for him. Twice.

Well, I know myself personally, and I have to take my share of the "blame" (I prefer "responsibility") for that, because I voted for him twice, worked for his campaign in my own small way, and sent my small amount of money to the Republican National Committee. I guess I know myself personally. Some of those soldiers are people I know personally (one of them my cousin, one a classmate of my daughter's), and if they were enough against the job, they wouldn't go (the younger one enlisted deliberately with the war already close, the older one career Air Force, who I believe predates Gulf I in the AF).

But the President can't "send" soldiers on his own say-so, he has a lot of people supporting his decisions in this matter still, including those soldiers. Without them, what he wanted to do personally wouldn't amount to any action at all.

[Wil]

*cough* Back on topic!

One thing that must be remembered in this sense is that good and evil are points of view. To a vegan, eating meat is a horrible sin. To many others, including myself, eating meat is just what is done.

With that said, great powers can be related to holding a knife or holding a gun. The knife and the gun are not good or evil, but it can be used to perform things that some may see as being good or evil in itself.

Now, who is to say that those with great powers will be selfish? Sure, in a lot of ways humans in todays society would use powers for personal gain and to show off (we show off guns and knives, some even use them in an attempt for personal gain), but what if a lot of those people who actually gain 'super powers' are mentally matured enough to not be so stubborn? I believe it could go both ways and it really just depends on the person, their upbringing, and own personal morals.

[hive_king]

*cough* back off topic!

The president can send troops without congressional approval, but congress can refuse to fund the troops, which means it wouldn't really be feasable for them to stay. The democrats aren't going to do that this time because they don't want to be seen as not supporting the troops, but they could. Besides, have you ever heard of the War Powers Act?

[Fish Tank]

Stop being f***ing stupid, FT. You can't say how much power he has because there isn't a measure for it. But just because something doesn't have an exact way of being measured doesn't mean it's immeasurable. You can measure the president's power against that of someone else's for example (therefore, not immeasurable). Bush has far less power to control his own country than Hitler did. So that would mean Hitler had more than infinite powers?

I don't know how you even retardedly stumbled your way through to this opinion since the simple fact that there are things that he can't do proves he doesn't have infinite power.

There is more than one definition of infinite. Stop being f***ing stupid.

lol just because something doesn't have an exact way of being measured doesn't mean it's immeasurable

You do know what immeasurable means right? Not being able to be measured. You can compare two person's power but you can not measure either of theirs. You can say one person has more power than the other by what they can do, but you can't measure it.

[hive_king]

FT, you can make a list of everything the president can and can not do. Therefore, you can measure his powers.

And You know perfectly well what the intent of this thread is, you know what everyone else means when they say "infinite". They mean "able to do anything." As a matter of fact, that is how inifinite power will be defined from here on out in this thread "able to do anything." The president can't do everything, ergo his powers aren't infinite. So please stop being an ass and stick to what people mean.

[Dr. Mobius]

If I had infinite powers, I'd still do what I do now- sit around and eat a lot of cheetos. I just wouldn't have to get up to go to the fridge, I could bring the fridge to me.

Even with infinite powers, you would still suck at life.

[Jebus]

lol just because something doesn't have an exact way of being measured doesn't mean it's immeasurable

You do know what immeasurable means right? Not being able to be measured.

Reread what I said.

You can compare two person's power but you can not measure either of theirs. You can say one person has more power than the other by what they can do, but you can't measure it.

Dear god, you don't even understand what measuring is.

You know being stupid is one thing, but being condescending aswell? That's just really sad.