padt: I whole heartedly agree with the conclusion of this intellectual exercise, by proving one of the most common human fallibility. However, you could've given a better example. Your solution is the fairest, but that was not specified either. Good quiz though, makes one always realize that they are only human, therefore imperfect.

Just wondering, how less judgmental can you be when you are considering a female judge and a male minister of religion and scholar? Are the labels not defined clearly enough so any other presumptions are not necessary, ie. fat, thin, gay, straight, white, black, etc.

Sorry Padt, but your question was based on survival not tolerance. If you had not stated "... starting a new civilization... " I would agree. but in a case of survival you must make choices based on what little information you have. You may not have been in situations where real survival is a matter of making difficult choices but I have and I can assure you it is not easy but choices have to be made based on what information there is. Or perhaps you have and managed to do it another way. If you have then I applaud you.

It is also a fact of life that almost all decisions made in this manner are based on what information there is. I allocate work to staff based on this. I make a broad variety of judgements in daily life based on this. I work a great deal of tolerance in where is it possible and relevant but in the end that is a luxury and not always relevant. I adjust decisions when more information is available but I still have to make choices that are sometimes not terribly tolerant of the individual but are for the benefit of a group.

Outside decision making situations I agree. Not prejudging people is a very difficult thing to do. And it is a start to tolerance. But we do not live in a perfect world we can only teach what we know and believe to be correct and this article is an excellent start. Teaching people about the variety of choices they have and what basic principles should guide them is a very good start.

Thank you padt - not just for the interesting exercise but for the wise words too. I know I too make assumptions, and I guess we all do. Maybe they can get YOU to set the agenda for the "Tolerance Classes'? Sadly it seems the first job will be to dismantle the intolerance and assumptions that we have had previously instilled into us.

@Padt I do not agree with your reasoning, stated thought experiment was for the highest chance of survival so you need as many females of child bearing age as possible. whether they are psychotic or otherwise (of course that is not an ideal breeding characteristic)

as others stated the initial population is way to small to have much chance of survival at all, but to maximize chances in my opinion the course is self evident - as many young females as possible (and me..)

of course i understand the point you are trying to make but in terms of the thought experiment my many years as an avid sci fi fan tells me this must be the answer.

To get to the point and so we don't go around in circles - devine's comment is important - we dont have much information - just the information I gave.

So how do you choose? You put the 8 names in a hat and draw out 6. Thats all you can do.

Tolerance begins when we dont prejudge people or presume we know who they are, what they are on about and what they can and cant do and what their motives are. Sure sometimes we do, but often we simply don't have that information, if we are honest with ourselves.

Unfortunately, a lot of people make judgements about others - myself included - on the basis of no information. We make assumptions. But are our assumptions valid and what are they based on?

eg - he's a soldier, therefore he is this and this and this.

How do I know? I don't.

She's 18 and a model - therefore she is this and this and this. How do I know? She may be gay and infertile and a psychopath. Who says she is interested and capable of falling pregnant and raising a family.

All I know is she is 18 and a model.

But, its a human flaw to often, make judgements - on the basis of little or no information. In fact all we are doing is presuming and asuming. We are not evaluating on fact. Sometimes that is possible - often we do it without knowledge.

Thats one of the first things I have tried to learn about tolerance. Dont rush to judgement if you dont know.

To give an example - A Catholic bishop once said in the 1950's - "In America there are hundred of thousands of people who say they hate Roman Catholicism. And out of those hundreds of thousands of people, how many of them actually know what Roman Catholicism is. They think they know, but do they actually. I doubt if there is actually one person amongst them who truely knows what he is hating."

Thats by no means the last word on the subject - but it may give pause for thought.