Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: notesfiles - hp 1.2 08/01/83; site hp-pcd.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!hp-pcd!john
From: john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Protector psychology
Message-ID: <8200057@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 16:27:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.8200057
Posted: Mon Jul 29 16:27:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Aug-85 02:25:04 EDT
References: <-1396000@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 32
Nf-ID: #R:uiucdcsb:139600013:hp-pcd:8200057:000:1480
Nf-From: hp-pcd!john    Jul 29 12:27:00 1985

<<<
<
<  Truesdale and the protectors of Home: They decide to break out of the 
<  hospital to spread the virus, killing the majority of the population of
<  Home (several million people).  Many of these people killed are their
<  relatives.  They do this to preserve humanity in general in the long
<  term, most of whom they are unrelated to (order of 20 billion people).
<  They seem to have no major qualms about this.
<

 They knew about the other ships from Pak that were approaching and did
that to prevent total annilhilation.

<  Teela Brown and the protectors of Ringworld: She refuses to use the
<  solar flare/laser system to save Ringworld from imminent destruction.
<  Several trillion (?) "people" are going to die in a few years, but she
<  refrains because using the system would kill 5% of the population.

 Niven mentioned something about another protector besides Teela that would
try and move the Ringworld inhabitants. Assuming that was possible then the
greatest number could be saved by not saving Ringworld. Another explaination
could be that Protectors view morality in a different light than we do. We
tend to believe that failing to save a life is sometimes the same as murder.
A protector may feel that death due to Ringworlds destruction was natural
and would not justify intentional murder to prevent. You must remember that
Teela was compelled by instinct that contradicted what her intelligence told
her to do.



John Eaton
!hplabs!hp-pcd!john