Unethical Social Experiments (Possible Black Mirror Spoilers)

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by uniderth, Jan 20, 2018.

  1. uniderth

    uniderth Commodore Commodore

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    So I just finished watching the Black Mirror episode "USS Callister." And it got me thinking again about strange social experiments that would be interesting (though unethical) to try. For example. What if you built a full scale "working" replica of the Enterprise. Then you snatched someone up in the middle of this night and snuck them into the ship. Then they wake up there. When they wonder where they are, you give them a complete back story about an accident that they just woke up from. You could have photos and other evidence to back up your story. Would they ever come to accept their new life? Then if they did, what would happen if you put them back into their old life? Maybe with a "just woke up from an accident" story to explain the missing time. It would be so interesting to see how someone would react to such a situation. The admittedly probably very cruel and undoubtedly unethical.

    I recall reading about a married couple where one spouse got amnesia and couldn't remember ever having gotten married. So lets say you take someone and hire them to work at a special facility. This facility has no way to tell what time it is outside. You have them work there for two months or so. Then everyday you slow down the clock. That way there's about a one or two week difference in time between the real time and the perceived time on the inside. You then take the subject of the experiment and move them to a hospital bed while they are asleep. The goal being to tell them they had a whirlwind romance with another worker at the facility and they were married just a few days ago. When they wake up you tell them they slipped and hit their head. Then you give them all sorts of doctored evidence that proves what you're saying is true. What would their reaction be. Would they continue the relationship. I suppose you could tell them anything really. They are a different person or something.

    What sort of weirdness could you put into someone's life and how would they react? What other strange social experiments do you think would be interesting?
     
  2. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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  3. think

    think Like Spock Premium Member

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    I prefer alternate information structures to either data that is known or even new informations that was different from common place ideas... So say I like to go to hell regularly to just hang out some with Satan or that I visit and talk to God so much that we decided to tell you somethings that are not quite real but not unreal as well? or that my mind is inside your mind telling you what to think when you ask me to...?
     
  4. Sgt_G

    Sgt_G Commodore Commodore

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    Sounds like the time we convinced a kid that his disembodied brain was hooked up to a computer that controlled all his sensory imputs. Just about put the guy into the loony farm. We had a hard time convincing him we made it all up. Often wondered whatever happened to him. Maybe he went to Hollywood and wrote a screneplay called The Matrix...........
     
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  5. Awesome Possum

    Awesome Possum Moddin' Admiral

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    This seems more like torture than an experiment.
     
  6. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Which, the OP or Milgram?
     
  7. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    TrekkBBS
     
  8. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Given we come here voluntarily wouldn't that be masochism?
     
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  9. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    Or just OCD?
     
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  10. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    You know, I have actually wondered this, forums do seem to have an addictive quality.
     
  11. uniderth

    uniderth Commodore Commodore

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    It may be addictive for you, but I can quit anytime I want. I just don't want to right now.
     
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  12. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I quit for nearly two months recently, see?
     
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  13. think

    think Like Spock Premium Member

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    I was addicted to soap --- then I got clean..
     
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  14. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." - Steven Wright
     
  15. Tenacity

    Tenacity Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Is this facility a Las Vegas casino?
    To lawyer up.
     
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  16. Awesome Possum

    Awesome Possum Moddin' Admiral

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    OP, but TrekBBS is an experiment. I’ve seen the findings, quite shocking.
     
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  17. Asbo Zaprudder

    Asbo Zaprudder Admiral Admiral

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    You can check out any time you like...
     
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  18. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    As in cattle prod shocking?
     
  19. Awesome Possum

    Awesome Possum Moddin' Admiral

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    No, we were never able to get those to connect to wifi long enough to function.
     
  20. Spot261

    Spot261 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That's what happens when you overcomplicate these things