Hypothetical Thursday

January 10th, 2008 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0) |

This is the beginning of a series of original weekly posts which pose hypothetical questions. I am fascinated by “what if?” and “would you rather?” questions, so I thought I’d write some and post them here just for fun. Join in by leaving a comment with your answer and/or explanation. [Photo courtesy of kimonomania]

You’re sitting in the doctor’s office, just having finished your annual physical exam. No news; you’re in good health, so you stand up to leave and the nurse walks in again. The nurse assures you everything is fine, but he’d like to ask you an important question. You’ve been randomly selected to participate in a very important scientific experiment, one that less than one tenth of a percent of patients have the opportunity to do.

He gently explains that brain scientists have been researching and experimenting with drugs that produce instant knowledge by targeting nano-specific areas of the brain. You have the option of being administered a shot that has a 50% chance of immediately making you fluent in two foreign languages of your choice (while still retaining your native tongue). After taking the shot, he explains, you will immediately be fluent in these languages with no sign of an accent; they’ll feel totally natural rolling off the tongue, as if you’ve been speaking them since infancy. But there’s only a 1 in 2 chance of this happening. They’re still working some kinks out, the nurse says.

Unlike most experimental drugs, which produce a myriad of side-effects, this shot only produces one, but it’s a big one. If the shot fails in making you fluent (a 50/50 chance), there is then a %90 chance that you will lose the ability to taste for the rest of your life. You will still be able to eat and drink as normal, but you will have no recognition of taste.

Again the nurse reminds you that this has been thoroughly tested, and these are the only two possible effects of this experimental shot. It is not a requirement to participate, but all you need to do to opt in is sign the page and mark which two languages you’d like.

Do you take the shot? Why or why not?