Life on Alpha Centauri

What do you think life for citizens in each of the 14 factions in Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire is like.

Example: life for a Drone in the University Faction

Wake up and look around in tiny Hab Unit, Go to workstation and work as hard as you can in order not to be whipped, join other Drones in strike that is being considered a riot, get beaten by the Self-Aware Colony Defenses, Wake up in a Punishment Spheare, and realise there is a Nerve Staple in the back of your head, And learn your going to be transfere to the Hive as part of some University-Hive Labor agreement that you will now work in some of the deepest mines on planet as a slave.

[Qwerty88]

I don't think the University would build a punishment sphere, I think this sounds more like the life of a Drone in the Hive faction.

[Chaos Theory]

Life of a citizen of an Alien faction:

Wake : up. Breathe deeply. Nerve : gas! (die)

[Santiago_Claus]

I think Raging Mouse in his splendid fanfic "The Wizard of Chiron" put his finger on the UoP's drone problem: researchers not only perform experiments the "common man" finds abhorrent, they do so casually, not understanding and often not even realizing the squeamishness of the "less-educated".

[Hydro]

The UP's problems is that the researchers aren't the ones being experimented upon. If they were the ones subject to experimentation with horrifically designed anal probes then they might object. It is a basic lack of empathy. As SC said, it is casual. For the Hive it is methodical. For the Spartans it is doctrine. For the Believers it is for Truth (with a capital 'T').

Hydro

[Commy]

But what about Talents, what would their lives be like?

Get up. Get dressed in Superman clothes. Use your super powers. Save the day. Become famous. Sign 3000 autographs. Go to sleep. Suddenly get a phone call. Get dressed again. Save the day again. Go to sleep. Wake up...

Or what about a mindworm?

Wake up. Crawl around. See a human. Use psych terror. Eat through persons head. Get stepped on. End up in Chinese food buffet...

[Enigma_Nova]

Hydro: Not so. University has empaths just like any other faction.
Empathy is something they have, Sympathy is what they do not.

Their relentless pursuit of knowledge, at the expense of... whatever, tends to annoy the drones.
Sure, they understand that people are pissed off - and probably have theses written about why.
Fact is, they simply don't care as much about their citizens as they do about their intellectual pursuit.

It's all about values, and learning the effects of Mindworms on people is more important to them than saving that b-drone's life.
I mean, seriously. B-drones suck, but MW tech is cool.

[Hydro]

EN – I’m glad you agree with my analysis on the UoP. ‘Empathy’ is exactly the word I meant since it means: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experiences fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also: the capacity for this (Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary).

As you say, the UoP researchers simply don’t care about what they do to others; they have other goals. Hence, they have no empathy (which you call ‘sympathy’) for their test subjects. In my opinion, the word empathy is a better fit.

I think you may be confusing the AC ‘empath’ with the general condition of empathy (the two are related, but within a different context). Or, perhaps you are unfamiliar with the concept of empathy? After all, empathy does require one to treat others in a just manner, and view them as important for more than test subjects or cannon fodder.

Hydro

[Commy]

Gotta go with Hydro. But I don't think it is just empathy. I also beliebe that EN has a point that it is also just interest as well.

The word empathy is sometimes misleading. Humans today have empathy. We understand what other people feel like, if they're in a good mood or not, if they are annoyed with you and so on. Certain people, however, have a brain deficiency in empathy, so they don't always understand how people feel. Some of these people turn into mass murderers, others may still hold common jobs, but scientists that have this mental disorder, this lack of empathy, are prone to not care about what they do to others. They tend to not have sympathy for the test subjects since they have no empathy. But in Zakhorav's case, while this may be true, it is also because he is strongly interested in knowledge.

Empaths are people who, through evolution or bio-engineering, and also extreme training, have had their empathy skills enhanced, where they no longer feel and understand others emotions, but they can also understand symbols of others' thoughts...

[Enigma_Nova]

Originally posted by Hydro
the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experiences fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner;

/me casually ignores the impossibility of an objective emotion
Emotional Awareness and Emotional Experience.

Some University folk (I'll include myself here) would be aware of the emotions of others.
Problem is, do they feel these emotions, or just identify them?

Taking myself as a University person,
I am not sure whether I experience their emotions, or merely become aware of their effects.
...
Actually, I don't get Empathy, because I doubt I am self-empathic; I can't tell if I feel my own emotions, or simply believe I have emotions.
What is the difference between a feeling and a belief?
Is a conscious mind a prerequisite for feelings?

If so, then that's why I'm confused - I've been systematically denying, rebuking and undoing my consciousness.
All in the pursuit of understanding, of course.
Hmmm... this makes me a 'borg, doesn't it...

Hence, they have no empathy (which you call ‘sympathy’) for their test subjects.

Point taken that this topic is beyond me...
Maybe they feel the pain but endure it because of their other goals.
I guess the empathic pain they get isn't as relevant to them as the lessons they learn.

Or, perhaps you are unfamiliar with the concept of empathy? After all, empathy does require one to treat others in a just manner, and view them as important for more than test subjects or cannon fodder.

And if I lack empathy towards myself, then...
I do presume my importance, so what theory do you have now?

[livid imp]

First off it seems like many people are equating a "Drone" as a slave, not so necessarily. Ultimately they are nothing more than a game device, the "unhappy" people of Civilizations. You didn't necessarily think of them as slaves.

Now on a role-playing level the drones of each faction could be very different. Maybe in the hive they are basically serfs. Spartan drones might be classical slaves, obtained as the spoils of war. Morgan's drones maybe "wage slaves".....think of the USA in the 1800's with its robber barons, where laborers would have to buy from the company store at prices so inflated that they could never finish paying off their debts, thus making them indentured to the company for life for essentially no pay. The drones of the Believers/Cult/Gaians are simply people that tired of living under extremist doctrine. CyCon drones are resisting being implanted.

In every society there will be those that are unhappy with the way things are run. And the various drone quelling facilities are mirrors of those things we live with. Imagine our world without TV, radio, video games, sports, etc. These are things to keep you the drone of your society placated. Without those diversions you'd probably be a lot more angry about the things being done by your government. But it is sooooo much easier to turn on that sit-com, go to that rave, or to write a post about your favorite video game

"And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
Tryin' to anaesthetise the way that you feel " - Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello

[Commy]

Very true, but what about Talents? They're not simply just people who are happy about the government. Otherwise Lal wouldn't have so many...

[Hydro]

EN – consider the following questions:

* Do others feel pain?
* Are other’s emotions theirs, or mine (apply a version of the Uncertainty principle here)
* What is the nature of the universe?
* When a tree falls in the forest when no one is present, is there sound?

All of these are examples of existential navel gazing.

The point is that having no empathy toward others means that you treat them as objects, not as individuals with consciousness. Existentialism (and its close friend narcissism) can be used to justify everything from casual cruelty to death camps, so be careful how you apply these philosophies.

If that still doesn’t make sense then remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you would have them treat you. Using this basic and direct rule clears away philosophies that are so much chewing gum for the cerebral cortex.

If you still think this is unfathomable then remember that the person you inflict a horrifically designed anal probe upon will likely do the same to you, given the chance. Then you will have definitive proof of whether pain is real or not.

Hydro

[Commy]

Perhaps EN the mental deficiency of Empathy is spreading to more places of the mind. I can relate. I know a few good physciatrists, all of which live in San Francisco...

[livid imp]

Originally posted by Hydro
All of these are examples of existential navel gazing.

Hydro you rock.
Existentialism/Transcendentalism has way too strong of a following among the WorldWideWackos. I love the study of philosophy, yet it disturbs me how much 'junk science' philosophy is revered as the one 'Truth'. (not pointing at anyone here, just a general criticism)

Originally posted by Hydro
If that still doesn’t make sense then remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you would have them treat you. Using this basic and direct rule clears away philosophies that are so much chewing gum for the cerebral cortex.

Amen brother! Sometimes, it is just that simple. One simple rule that trumps all others to create a stable society.