We have completed the survey "Aug2022: The Ultimate Choice" using D-agree from August 19, 2022 (Friday) to September 6, 2022 (Tuesday), and we would like to report the results.
During this period, a total of 13 ``Ultimate Choice'' themes were discussed. In the end, we had 22 registrants, 15 people answered on D-agree, and 14 people answered on the Google form where we asked the same question again.
Please download the report here.
The themes covered are as follows.
・Should AI development be regulated, including by the private sector, in order to prevent the use of AI as weapons in war?
・Is it okay to experiment with global cooling as a measure against global warming?
・Is it acceptable to interrupt important work due to the death of a pet?
・Is it appropriate to rely on cheap foreign products for food?
・Should Japan accept large numbers of refugees?
・Is it okay to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces (PKO), which sometimes involves self-defense and the use of force, for the purpose of preventing a massacre?
・Should Japan fight if invaded like Ukraine?
・Should I go back to Japan, where there is hard work and high pay?
・Should medical resources such as vaccines be distributed equitably internationally in emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic?
・Is it acceptable to possess/maintain nuclear weapons in order to avoid asteroid collisions?
・Is it appropriate to spend 1 trillion yen now in preparation for a low-frequency large-scale disaster that occurs once every 1,000 years?
・When a tsunami occurs, should the police, fire department, and Self-Defense Forces do their best to rescue people, even if their lives are at high risk?
・Is it okay to prioritize infection prevention at the expense of the economy in order to suppress the coronavirus pandemic?
We received the following comments in free text.
・Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to participate. Although the answers may change in the future, I have provided the answers as of now. There were some questions that I did not know how to answer, but I have provided the answers for now.
・I think that most of the questions themselves do not have an ultimate choice.
``The ultimate choice'' is rhetorical, but I use it to refer to issues that cannot be decided by one person alone, but that affect everyone.
When faced with the ultimate choice, some people may freeze, while others may find it obvious. Exploring what to discuss, how to discuss it, and how to make decisions is also a vexing problem. Also, although they say it's obvious, there are many people who can't actually put it into action. Unlike expressing an opinion, it is often impossible to take action. We believe that the "ultimate choice" is a multilayered issue that includes consideration and feasibility.
There are some people who are burdened with the ``ultimate choice'' that should be discussed by everyone. However, while it requires everyone's consent, it is a specialized issue, so it is difficult to understand the issue in the first place. I felt the same way, and so did some of my research members.
Our research group is exploring ways to effectively handle these "ultimate choices."
