In real life, what faction would you be part of? (Includes all 14 factions)

[GSTEIN]

In response to Trithemethius: Your response was well argued but I take issue with your last statement that because WWII was won with the aid of the Stalinist alliance this disproves my origina statement.

Look what happened after the War. Who won the Cold War. Indeed, Soviet Russia was so incompetent, corrupt and absurd that it collapsed utterly without any military force applied from the outside. The Communists were simply jokes, muderous jokes, but utter fools; their dictatorship of the proletariate lasted only about 70 years.

Although Alpha Centauri is science fiction and techs may be developed in the future to enable dictatorships to be efficient it seem to me there should be some limit on the 'anything is possible in the future' argument. The argument states, in effect, that many millenia of human evolution and civilization can be nullified the moment some scientist working for a despot invents some gadget that can control your brain. This is possible but I doubt it strongly. In spite of all the techs invented in the last 100 years humans are mostly the same now and they were before. I am somewhat doubtful that human character will be substantially changed in future regardless of any sceintific discoveries.

Also, I notice a lack of concern for the morality of joining a monsterous faction like the Hive. After all, the original question of the tread had to do not with just winning a GAME by any means but which faction you would join if this was REAL. Again I ask, who on this forum is prepared to torture and murder human beings (in reality, not in a game) to force them to conform, or, just for the hell of it, as in most dictatorships. I notice a certain shying away from the questions of right and wrong.

[Method]

Originally posted by CEO Aaron
It wouldn't totally kick ass.

psht. Support your outrageous claims!

[Skanky Burns]

Gaians: I could probably fit in with them. Having a faction where the females are encouraged to dance naked in the forests - well, no need to point out the benefits of that.

Hive: Crushing all humanity, internal and external, is not my cup of tea.

University: Lots of cluey people playing around with toys all day making nifty gadgets. Or testing things to find out how they work. Sounds like fun. The only problem is I may not be creative or motivated enough in such a society to do well.

Morgans: Probably my first choice. Accountants would be valued highly here.

Spartans: I'd have problems in this faction. I'm not very aggressive, nor much into physical activity (with some exceptions). The Spartan women might make this pick worthwhile though.

Believers: I'd be crucified.

Peacekeepers: Shrug.

Cyborgs: Now this would be cool. I imagine the relationship here as a symbiosis. You would still be you, the complete you, but have the support and guidance of the AI in logical matters. Your emotions would still be there, but supressed as you have someone you can discuss things with in your mind before reacting on your emotions. And if the AI in your head happened to be female, then what need would you have for other partners? Gives new meaning to the term "Mind-****".

Pirates: I don't like the sea, although sailing over it is fun. Probably not a lifestyle thing though.

Drones: I'm not much into physical things, but moreover I would need some outlet for my intellect and what creativness I have. On the other hand, you would have nicely built females without the aggression of Spartans.

Angels: Possible. Then again, I don't have the anti-social attitude required for this faction.

Cult & Aliens: Nah.

[Frankychan]

The Hive is a socialist utopia with everyone working for the greater good. Instead of having hundreds of thousands of people all with a separate agenda, you have a hundred thousand individuals working toward one goal.

It's like the other factions are like a boy who kicks over an anthill without any repercussions. Except in the Hive's case, the hill bites back when kicked.

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by GSTEIN
Look what happened after the War. Who won the Cold War. Indeed, Soviet Russia was so incompetent, corrupt and absurd that it collapsed utterly without any military force applied from the outside. The Communists were simply jokes, muderous jokes, but utter fools; their dictatorship of the proletariate lasted only about 70 years.

I do not consider a prolonged economic competition (as the arms race was) to be a "war". Some people have also argued that the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s was due to Glasnost and Perestroika and that without these programs central planning in the Soviet Union could have continued for several decades. I'm not entirely convinced myself but I can see something reasonable behind the argument, although I am of the opinion that if the centrally planned regime had persisted the eventual collapse would have been total.

Although Alpha Centauri is science fiction and techs may be developed in the future to enable dictatorships to be efficient it seem to me there should be some limit on the 'anything is possible in the future' argument. The argument states, in effect, that many millenia of human evolution and civilization can be nullified the moment some scientist working for a despot invents some gadget that can control your brain. This is possible but I doubt it strongly. In spite of all the techs invented in the last 100 years humans are mostly the same now and they were before. I am somewhat doubtful that human character will be substantially changed in future regardless of any sceintific discoveries.

It's hardly "anything is possible in the future", I was simply stating that Hayek's problems with centrally planned societies could possibly be overcome by use of improved networks and surveillance. I don't think this is anything as wacky as positing The Telepathic Matrix as a solution (which, SMAC/X does).

(I think Hayek does a pretty good job of presenting the problems with revolutionary socialism in his era. His problems with less "extreme" socialism are not as compelling, IMO.)

Also, I notice a lack of concern for the morality of joining a monsterous faction like the Hive. After all, the original question of the tread had to do not with just winning a GAME by any means but which faction you would join if this was REAL. Again I ask, who on this forum is prepared to torture and murder human beings (in reality, not in a game) to force them to conform, or, just for the hell of it, as in most dictatorships. I notice a certain shying away from the questions of right and wrong.

You may note that I stated that I preferred the Peacekeepers.

I shy away from "right and wrong" since morality is relative to one's society.

I also don't see the kind of agressive and total re-education of individuals that the Hive seems to embody as neccessarily being "torture"; I'm not sure what the Human Hive does in the way of "torture" that the other factions do not also do. In fact, I put it to you that the lower classes in the Hive and in the Morganites would have a remarkably similar kind of existence; especially if we consider the kind of life lived by the labourers in the laissez-faire Britain of the Industrial Revolution (which is as close to a "free market" as I can think of).

EDIT: I need to learn to preview before I hit submit.

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Frankychan
The Hive is a socialist utopia with everyone working for the greater good.

The greater good being, in the Human Hive's case, the expansion of the State's control over all aspects of humanity. Which is almost totally the opposite of what Marx was writing about in Das Kapital.

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
Peacekeepers: Shrug.

Shrug?SHRUG?!

Cyborgs: Now this would be cool. I imagine the relationship here as a symbiosis. You would still be you, the complete you, but have the support and guidance of the AI in logical matters. Your emotions would still be there, but supressed as you have someone you can discuss things with in your mind before reacting on your emotions. And if the AI in your head happened to be female, then what need would you have for other partners? Gives new meaning to the term "Mind-****".

Doesn't Aki Zeta-5 talk about how emotion is not present in her spiel in the faction selection screen? (Or am I making that up?) I dunno Skanky, I reckon the growth penalty probably represents a bit of lack of interest in any kind of ****ing.

[Commy]

I said that I wanted to be part of the Angels, and I still hold to that. They support a free society just like all the other good factions:

Peacekeepers
Morgans
University
Drones
Gaians

These are all the democratic factions (most of the time), and except Deidre, I support all of them. Dictatorships suck. When people willingly and freely fight for their countries, and don't have to be forced to fight, you know they're protecting something good. Democracies are the best, and give freedom to citizens. Free markets are also good, allowing people to make their own economic decisions. As someone mentioned earlier, wealth is great, because it makes sure everyone has a better standard of life. And Eudaimonic does the same, upholding better living standards. For all you real commies and dictators out there (don't look at my username, it's what my friends know me as), democracies all the way!!!

[Frankychan]

Originally posted by Trithemius


The greater good being, in the Human Hive's case, the expansion of the State's control over all aspects of humanity. Which is almost totally the opposite of what Marx was writing about in Das Kapital.

But you fail to realize that society created the State, of course Yang had to be the one to lead the people.

But no matter how much people you have rowing to get somewhere, you need a leader to steer the boat in the right direction.

[Trithemius]

Originally posted by Frankychan
But you fail to realize that society created the State, of course Yang had to be the one to lead the people.
But no matter how much people you have rowing to get somewhere, you need a leader to steer the boat in the right direction.

Some historians argue that the State and the Society are intimately and inextricably interrelated and that trying to say what came first is a kind of "chicken and egg" problem.

I'm not really sure about the rowing metaphor, it seems poetic but uncompelling to me.

[Sikander]

I like the Spartans best.

[Frankychan]

Originally posted by Sikander
I like the Spartans best.

Very eloquent, Sikander.

[Jamski]

Gah, what's wrong with you guys? A man needs a gun on his truck, preferably a big gun, and he needs to be allowed to shoot stuff with it

And you gotta love playing rugby naked in the xenofungus with girls

-Jam

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by CEO Aaron


I'd say this is a classic case of familiarity breeding contempt. I'd have to say that I chose Morgan the last time this poll ran, and I'm choosing them again for the same reasons:

Hab limits: Morganites get more spacious and luxurious living quarters. Did everyone forget this? All those Hivers living in an underground hole eating soylent green, and the Gaians surviving off kelp crunchies can go screw, I'm going to make sure I get the good stuff.

Free Market Economy and Wealth values: I'm certainly not going to claim that unchecked materialism is the solution to the world's problems, but of all the factions' belief values and belief systems, Morgan's is the only one that's ever made sense to me. Historically speaking, societies focused on the creation of wealth DO create a better life for the vast majority of their citizens, and ironically, collectivist sociteties focussed on enforcing equality have consistently devolved into poverty-stricken despotisms. The free market may not be perfect, but it's the only way I want to live.

Yep, great points.

I'd want to be a Morganite -- those people know how to live.

[GeoModder]

To say it a bit shorter: Gaians