The flies in the ointment
What doesn't kill us makes us more susceptible.
The Marjonian Community Council decides to opt for majority decisions rather than unanimity. They've also built themselves a network of irrigation channels, which would be all well and good, but they're a breeding ground for flies which spread a lethal disease throughout the population. Two-thirds of the population is going to die.
Anyway, the Secretary of State for Health (aka the Druid) says that if the people chew the leaves of the tobako [sic!] plant, they'll be immunised against the disease. The Council is about to pass the proposal for the immunisation programme when someone mentions that some people react badly to tobako. The Health Secretary admits that about one in twenty might die, but that seems to be a better proposition than two-thirds succumbing to the disease.
And just to twist the tail a little more, the disease is highly infectious and once you have it, chewing tobako won't help.
So, should the scheme be made compulsory?
We seem to be back to the old problem about whether many people should die or a few; but someone's going to die either way. In this case, a twentieth, random selection of the population is likely to die because of the Council decree. The problem, as it's laid out in the book, forces you to endorse the decision to make the chewing of tobako leaves compulsory, thus sacrificing a small proportion of the population. The Council seems to want what's best for the majority of the people under the circumstances.
Well, let's see how it all comes to an end tomorrow.
The Marjonian Community Council decides to opt for majority decisions rather than unanimity. They've also built themselves a network of irrigation channels, which would be all well and good, but they're a breeding ground for flies which spread a lethal disease throughout the population. Two-thirds of the population is going to die.
Anyway, the Secretary of State for Health (aka the Druid) says that if the people chew the leaves of the tobako [sic!] plant, they'll be immunised against the disease. The Council is about to pass the proposal for the immunisation programme when someone mentions that some people react badly to tobako. The Health Secretary admits that about one in twenty might die, but that seems to be a better proposition than two-thirds succumbing to the disease.
And just to twist the tail a little more, the disease is highly infectious and once you have it, chewing tobako won't help.
So, should the scheme be made compulsory?
We seem to be back to the old problem about whether many people should die or a few; but someone's going to die either way. In this case, a twentieth, random selection of the population is likely to die because of the Council decree. The problem, as it's laid out in the book, forces you to endorse the decision to make the chewing of tobako leaves compulsory, thus sacrificing a small proportion of the population. The Council seems to want what's best for the majority of the people under the circumstances.
Well, let's see how it all comes to an end tomorrow.
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