this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2025
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The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
I had to read this again, tremendous story.
Was on my way to post this. Revisited in ethics 101 in college, and again in ethics in technology(uni). 'Harm reduction' is the answer you are looking for, because no matter how perfect you think your ethic framework is, nature and bad actors will never respect it or take responsibility. Reality mocks philosophy's 'utopias.'
I like the other interpretation, where the writer inserts the suffering so you the reader would find it more believable because you've been conditioned to accept that we can't have a good society without making at least some people suffer for it.
Somebody always suffers in a utopia. That's why othering people is the first step in taking away rights. Gestures very loudly at current events
We read this in university computer science ethics. It gets you thinking, which is good.