What would you do if you discovered a weapon more dangerous than the nuclear bomb?

[quietism]

It's been a few months since I've logged in on the site. Umm. I suppose it just didn't cross my mind, but it's not like I've had much good to preoccupy myself with otherwise.

I have a bit of a thought experiment I'd appreciate some feedback on. If you were to discover a weapon more dangerous than the nuclear bomb, what would you do?

Without going into detail, I'll just say this thought experiment is very relevant to me at the moment. I've asked a few people I know personally, the answers mostly falling into three categories:
- Can you study countermeasures / prevent it by publicising it? (Not really)
- Can you profit from it financially? (Probably, but I would never do that)
- Can you just pretend you never discovered anything? (Yes, but..)

I'm a bit of a misanthropist. I don't think it would bother me so much to see the world descend into chaos. But, there's also a lot of decision paralysis and ambivalence. There are plenty of things I want in life, all things I don't believe I will ever be granted, the most right now being in person friendship/relationships which I haven't had in a very long time. On the status quo doing everything in my power I don't really expect that to happen despite the low bar I set. And I do generally think of life as gambling. I really don't like the idea of gambling for anomalous change to bring me happiness, but it still makes me wonder. I wish there was an anonymous hotline for this kind of thing, I think sasu is just about the closest you can get for this kind of question.

 

[Lost in a Dream]

I guess it depends on what the weapon is and what makes it more dangerous. Is it just a bigger bomb with a much bigger blast radius? Or is it possibly some kind of chemical weapon that spreads in the wind or something? If it's a bomb I definitely wouldn't want to use it or sell it, but I don't know what I would do with it honestly.

If it was a chemical weapon of some sort, I might look into ways I could potentially use it on myself without harming others, but I doubt I would even use it for that. It's an interesting thought experiment though.

 

[SVEN]

Can I put it on Ebay ?

 

[Rynalia]

I'm gonna test it on myself first, far away, and in isolation to make sure it's actually more dangerous.

 

[Forever Sleep]

There surely are annonymous numbers you can report terrorist activities. I think you can report things to the police annonymously. I'd probably do that. Try and work out a way they couldn't trace the call in case. Although, I'd certainly be scared shitless of repercussions. I guess if it was that bad, they'd look at putting you in to witness protection.

 

[VoidButterfly]

Generally I'd presume that if I'd found a weapon that all the world's scientists had missed then I was probably not understanding something about the situation.

 

[quietism]

I guess it depends on what the weapon is and what makes it more dangerous. Is it just a bigger bomb with a much bigger blast radius? Or is it possibly some kind of chemical weapon that spreads in the wind or something? If it's a bomb I definitely wouldn't want to use it or sell it, but I don't know what I would do with it honestly.

If it was a chemical weapon of some sort, I might look into ways I could potentially use it on myself without harming others, but I doubt I would even use it for that. It's an interesting thought experiment though.

Not just a bigger bomb, no. The danger of a bomb is that it can be deployed and detonated relatively quickly and it can take a long time to repair the damage (or longer with nuclear fallout, but certainly still finite). What I have in mind is also not exactly a chemical weapon but somewhat similar in that it could take a long time between deployment and damage, and the damage is of a more irreversible and clandestine nature; by the time it's been noticed it's already too late.

Can I put it on Ebay ?

Yes >_<

Although I feel like that'd get passed off as a scam? Or ebay would auto delist it. I wonder.

There surely are annonymous numbers you can report terrorist activities. I think you can report things to the police annonymously. I'd probably do that. Try and work out a way they couldn't trace the call in case. Although, I'd certainly be scared shitless of repercussions. I guess if it was that bad, they'd look at putting you in to witness protection.

I didn't consider this idea. I don't know what exactly you could say for that kind of place to take you seriously without encouraging them to try to take you in to some off-the-books interrogation place. Or if witness protection would even really help at all. Same as with any other weapon, there's the theory and the idea that explains how it can be constructed, and to a person with the right resources, only a few pages would be enough of a leak to reconstruct it. Who would the witness protection be protecting you from, anyway? I'd think state actors would be the most willing to do the dirty work to get their hands on this kind of technology.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Not just a bigger bomb, no. The danger of a bomb is that it can be deployed and detonated relatively quickly and it can take a long time to repair the damage (or longer with nuclear fallout, but certainly still finite). What I have in mind is also not exactly a chemical weapon but somewhat similar in that it could take a long time between deployment and damage, and the damage is of a more irreversible and clandestine nature; by the time it's been noticed it's already too late.


Yes >_<

Although I feel like that'd get passed off as a scam? Or ebay would auto delist it. I wonder.


I didn't consider this idea. I don't know what exactly you could say for that kind of place to take you seriously without encouraging them to try to take you in to some off-the-books interrogation place. Or if witness protection would even really help at all. Same as with any other weapon, there's the theory and the idea that explains how it can be constructed, and to a person with the right resources, only a few pages would be enough of a leak to reconstruct it. Who would the witness protection be protecting you from, anyway? I'd think state actors would be the most willing to do the dirty work to get their hands on this kind of technology.

I probably misunderstood this to be something you had somehow stumbled across possible criminals building! If it's a new science or discovery of some sort, then I don't know really. Depends if you discovered it. In which case- you might have some idea of who already knows about it. If you've found out someone else has stumbled upon it or developed it though, then who's to say how many people already know about it? Maybe the cat is already out of the bag.

But in that case- yes- I see your dilema. Who could be trusted with such knowledge that they would make whatever it is safe and hidden, rather than develop it for their own ends? In which case, I don't know that I trust anyone unfortunately. Seeing as how so many of us are keen to stockpike weapons of mass destruction.

I guess that's the bit in the film where all those involved swear to keep it a secret and try to prevent it being happened upon by another. Really though- if one person has worked it out, I imagine more will be able to, too.