Would you rather know...

Board 8

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Board 8 » Would you rather know...
Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
07:31 PM
#1
Would you rather know...


Vote
If you pick the former, you become an encyclopedia of nearly all of the world's well-studied knowledge. You know just about everything about every subject. You speak virtually every language. You know the words in every book, the notes to every song, the ingredients in any dish. You might not possess the physical capabilities to perform every skill, but you know the fundamentals behind them. You are qualified, knowledge-wise, to perform just about any job in the world. All of the cities of the world and all of their roads are known to you, as well as any major events that are happening. As long as it's something that at least 10,000 people know, you know it too.

If you pick the latter, all of the world's secrets are an open book to you. You're privy to closely guarded national secrets, as well as personal details about every person's life. The real truth behind any story, the one known only by the people who were there to see it, is known to you. You also have specialized knowledge in fields only known by a few masters, and become the world's foremost expert on things that take other people a lifetime of study to learn. As long as one person has discovered it, you know it too, so long as they haven't yet published a book about it.

idk why this question popped into my brain while I was trying to fall asleep at 3 AM last night
Underleveled
07/21/2022
07:35 PM
#2
Definitely the common knowledge. Useful on a much broader scale and I really really don't need/want to know every detail of everybody's life.
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ChaosTonyV4
07/21/2022
07:36 PM
#3
Knowing every language is OP, but knowing every secret is tempting.
Phantom Dust.
"I'll just wait for time to prove me right again." - Vlado
Reg
07/21/2022
07:40 PM
#4
Underleveled posted...
I really really don't need/want to know every detail of everybody's life.
^

Easy choice
NFUN
07/21/2022
07:42 PM
#5
i would like to know all of the mysteries of obscure physics fields thank you
Kneel... or you will be knelt
Leafeon13N
07/21/2022
07:45 PM
#6
I want the secrets assuming we are keeping knowledge to factual information and not some q brained theory.
Leonhart4
07/21/2022
07:45 PM
#7
Either way it would probably overload my brain

I feel like obscure knowledge is more profitable though
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Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
07:49 PM
#8
Leafeon13N posted...
I want the secrets assuming we are keeping knowledge to factual information and not some q brained theory.
Only actual facts. If a fact has more than one side to it then you know all of those sides. You do know about conspiracy theories, insofar as the existence of a theory that someone has is still a truth, but you probably know if the conspiracy theory is fake or real, unless it's real and being covered up by more than 10k people.
NFUN
07/21/2022
07:53 PM
#9
Paratroopa1 posted...
unless it's real and being covered up by more than 10k people.
(aka impossible)
Kneel... or you will be knelt
GuessMyUserName
07/21/2022
07:53 PM
#10
i wouldn't really know what to do with the obscure knowledge, like yeah i'll know the most private of secrets but... do what with them"

known by >10k people is a hell of a lot of knowledge and even a lot of that would be incredibly niche stuff even still, like uh even the most niche video games are breaking 10k yet not even gaming circles will recognize a character like Tara Grimface or whatever
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Great_Paul
07/21/2022
07:54 PM
#11
The latter would be good in the sense that youd be able to reveal a bunch of major unsolved crimes and mysteries.
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Leonhart4
07/21/2022
07:55 PM
#12
yeah you could basically become real life Sherlock Holmes if you wanted
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Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
07:57 PM
#13
Leonhart4 posted...
yeah you could basically become real life Sherlock Holmes if you wanted
Yeah, this was the realization that made me realize the second choice was interesting when I wrote it down. I think the second option is vastly more likely to destroy you as a person, but it's also possibly much more powerful.
MrSmartGuy
07/21/2022
07:57 PM
#14
Why would anyone trust you on those, though? You're only setting yourself up to be offed by someone.

I'll speak every language, thanks.
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MZero
07/21/2022
07:58 PM
#15
Paratroopa1 posted...
You speak virtually every language.

Sold
MZero , to the extreme
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Leonhart4
07/21/2022
07:59 PM
#16
MrSmartGuy posted...
Why would anyone trust you on those, though? You're only setting yourself up to be offed by someone.

I'll speak every language, thanks.

If the evidence exists, you know where to find it.

I mean yeah it's obviously the more dangerous route if you choose to reveal closely guarded secrets
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Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
08:01 PM
#17
Also I probably misspoke when I said "speak every language" because it's more like you'd *know* every language but speaking it would still require some practice since that's a physical skill. You'd know the fundamentals of how to, though, so it wouldn't be much of a leap
Leonhart4
07/21/2022
08:01 PM
#18
Or I guess you could also become real life Redd White if you have a darker side to you
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Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
08:02 PM
#19
MrSmartGuy posted...
Why would anyone trust you on those, though?
I think it's probably possible to establish yourself as a knower of secrets. Like, you'd win "what number am I thinking of" every time and that would probably eventually convince most people that you have psychic powers or some shit.
Dels
07/21/2022
08:05 PM
#20
I was leaning the first one because I don't really need to get too fancy and would be happy to just live a life with all those options available. The second one would totally transform your life. But thinking on it more, the second one would open up options that could make you even more successful, richer, and even allow you to help people.

Does the second one continue into the future, or is it just as of the time you decide? Like, could you become the ultimate lie detector, if someone asks you "did my partner cheat" you always know...?
Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
08:07 PM
#21
Dels posted...
I was leaning the first one because I don't really need to get too fancy and would be happy to just live a life with all those options available. The second one would totally transform your life. But thinking on it more, the second one would open up options that could make you even more successful, richer, and even allow you to help people.

Does the second one continue into the future, or is it just as of the time you decide? Like, could you become the ultimate lie detector, if someone asks you "did my partner cheat" you always know...?
I'm presuming 'continues into the future' for this, I didn't clarify that well enough

This is actually a bit of a problem because it implies that any new fact that comes into existence is known immediately by the secret-knower, even if it eventually becomes common knowledge
Paratroopa1
07/21/2022
08:09 PM
#22
Paratroopa1 posted...
I'm presuming 'continues into the future' for this, I didn't clarify that well enough

This is actually a bit of a problem because it implies that any new fact that comes into existence is known immediately by the secret-knower, even if it eventually becomes common knowledge
Giving this a second thought, I'm going to assume that you don't *automatically* know any fact, you have to be aware that there is a fact to know - if you can ask the question then you would know the answer (if it's known by the requisite number of people), but you don't automatically become pinged in your brain every time a new baby is born
Pokewars
07/21/2022
08:10 PM
#23
The first option means you are virtually untouchable in Jeopardy unless someone buzzes in faster than you and has the same power.

Hmmm...
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LiquidOshawott
07/21/2022
08:12 PM
#24
I think with the internet its very hard to have the specialized knowledge for some fields be truly inaccessible, the top option definitely seems superior
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TomNook
07/21/2022
08:20 PM
#25
Top option just makes you know things that you could know anyway.

Bottom option has immense margins of profit that you would never be able to get by studying. This is a no brainer.
Bells, bells, bells!
Janus5k
07/21/2022
08:22 PM
#26
The former. Both would be lucrative enough and knowing everyone's worst secrets would probably be more maddening than useful.
A hero cannot be defeated simply by making him die.
SirChris
07/21/2022
08:25 PM
#27
The latter would both be a cheat code for being extremely wealthy and be cool.
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banananor
07/21/2022
08:36 PM
#28
Fewer than 10,000, for sure and by far

You can only accomplish so much as one person. If at least 10,000 people know how to do something, they can do it

The stuff you can do with all those interesting secrets on the verge of going extinct is way cooler. On the side of good, you can stop premeditated harm before it happens. On the side of selfishness, you know everyone's passwords, who is a murderer, where somebody buried the treasure, so much more

Follow up question... is this a dynamic thing? Like, if you share your cloistered knowledge with 10,000 people, do you immediately forget it?
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neonreaper
07/21/2022
08:41 PM
#29
broad knowledge. Id rather be the guy that knows everything than the guy that knows stuff people dont want me to know.
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masterplum
07/21/2022
08:43 PM
#30
I uh

Think I go with fewer than 10,000

I feel like that would open up a lot of really interesting paths such as crime fighting and treasure hunting. While general knowledge is nice, I can google that.
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GoldSlime35
07/21/2022
08:50 PM
#31
Pokewars posted...
The first option means you are virtually untouchable in Jeopardy unless someone buzzes in faster than you and has the same power.

Hmmm...

This was my first thought as well. Easy money on Jeopardy and even easier on other game shows that don't have buzzing or the risk of losing to aggressive Daily Double bets by opponents.
Snake5555555555
07/21/2022
08:57 PM
#32
Some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new Dark Age.
I've decided to put my fears behind me. I'm not going back.
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BetrayedTangy
07/21/2022
10:10 PM
#33
As much as I would want to know if we've encountered aliens or not, the former is going to help me more long term.
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KingButz
07/21/2022
10:24 PM
#34
The secret knowledge. There are other ways to learn science, languages, etc., but there would be no other way to know some of the things that only one guy knows and will take to his grave. Plus, life would be really boring if I already knew all the details to every piece of mass market media in existence.

Just being able to instantly tell if someone's been honest seems incredibly useful.
to me hero's is just bad person
tazzyboyishere
07/21/2022
11:11 PM
#35
Option 1 ez. Option 2 would proc frenzy
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_PandaMaster_
07/21/2022
11:25 PM
#36
Being a real life Shadow Broker is the dream. The entirety of humanity in your hands simply due to what you know. Toppling entire nations with a single word. Unlimited blackmail potential. As long as you know, no one else would dare to wonder.

Shadow Broker, out.
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azuarc
07/21/2022
11:28 PM
#37
I can see strong arguments for either. It's a solid pair of options. But the second seems like it would be better for someone who has a more dynamic personality, is deft in talking to/manipulating people, and can really leverage knowing all kinds of things about everyone and everything. There are non-shady uses, obviously, but I feel like most of the powerful applications are less ethical than that of the first. And knowing everything known by the greater population is still incredibly powerful to take advantage of as well. Like, I'm not a professional writer, but I've tried my hand at it. One of the things that always limits me is a lack of knowledge about the fields my characters would understand so I can make them feel authentic and interesting. It would also mean I could readily take care of simple problems like fixing my own car, and I'd know so many freaking life hacks for making things simpler. It would still be reasonable to use the overall knowledge of the world to recognize things like where to invest, how to play different musical instruments, etc. There's so many great options that I fail to see how I'd rather pick the second option unless I were on the bleeding edge of science, a police investigator, or in a world of political intrigue.
Only the exceptions can be exceptional.
GuessMyUserName
07/21/2022
11:31 PM
#38
KingButz posted...
but there would be no other way to know some of the things that only one guy knows and will take to his grave
yeah but those are the secrets I totally don't wanna know

like i don't wanna know b8's entire jizztory
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paperwarior
07/21/2022
11:40 PM
#39
I'd rather be a respected intelligent person than a potential threat to every powerful person and everyone else.
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MZero
07/21/2022
11:51 PM
#40
KingButz posted...
Plus, life would be really boring if I already knew all the details to every piece of mass market media in existence.

You would learn this anyway before it releases
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Bane_Of_Despair
07/21/2022
11:54 PM
#41
The first one, the second one is definitely cooler but it would probably make me go crazy
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Lopen
07/21/2022
11:54 PM
#42
If you can turn it off option B. I don't want to dive into everyone's secrets indiscriminately but man just untraceable insider trading alone you'd have infinite wealth. That + a bunch of obscure skills would be great.

Otherwise option A. Knowing all languages is cool at least.
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changmas
07/22/2022
12:18 AM
#43
easily the second one.

given enough time and personal motivation it's likely that any knowledge known by 10,000+ people is something I already have the ability to learn and there's likely to be many resources to help me learn it.

for all the other stuff you're just becoming a walking encyclopedia and I more or less can already carry that in my pocket
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NFUN
07/22/2022
12:21 AM
#44
Paratroopa1 posted...
Giving this a second thought, I'm going to assume that you don't *automatically* know any fact, you have to be aware that there is a fact to know - if you can ask the question then you would know the answer (if it's known by the requisite number of people), but you don't automatically become pinged in your brain every time a new baby is born

Kneel... or you will be knelt
mnkboy907
07/22/2022
12:38 AM
#45
I guess option 2, so long as I have to consciously think of something in order to know about it. Feels like it might be easier to exploit for money and stuff without requiring as much work. Bonus points if I can just think something like "is anyone suspicious of me" or "is anyone trying to harm me" and then instantly know what the relevant people may know about me.
Change is weird.
CassandraCain
07/22/2022
10:05 AM
#46
First option is tempting, but I've always been interested in the world's secrets. And all that common knowledge is accessible through the internet. Sure I can't retain all of it, and it frequently requires me to google stuff, but the information is still there.

I can't get well guarded secrets in the palm of my hand though, and I would like to see for myself what the world governments are hiding. Even if I never apply the information in some way, I just wanna know.
I don't kill... but I don't lose either.
HaRRicH
07/22/2022
01:23 PM
#47
Both are tempting, but I imagine you could get a sweet job as a global-level translator and have a greater enjoyment traveling to new places with the 10,000-option.
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guffguy89
07/22/2022
02:17 PM
#48
I think you are underestimating the amount of stupid people in the world. The guarantee is a minimum of 10,000.....but even if we double or triple that, if the people are just randomnly selected, your going to get a lot of useless, limited knowledge.
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hombad46
07/22/2022
02:42 PM
#49
guffguy89 posted...
I think you are underestimating the amount of stupid people in the world. The guarantee is a minimum of 10,000.....but even if we double or triple that, if the people are just randomnly selected, your going to get a lot of useless, limited knowledge.

I don't think you're understanding it right. We're not picking 10,000 people and getting all the knowledge they have, we're getting all the facts in the world that are known by at least 10,000 people
It's tempting to linger in this moment, while every possibility still exists. But unless collapsed by an observer, they will never be more than possibilities.
Jakyl25
07/22/2022
03:17 PM
#50
Gimme the secrets
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