Snowy_One Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Not sure if this should belong in serious or not, but I'm going with not since it's an entirely hypothetical. Anyways, what would happen if we took a bunch of kids aged 8-14 and just dumped them on an uninhabited island (assuming enough food/fresh water/resources) and let them build their own society? What do you thing would emerge? A functioning civilization or pure barbarism? Would they try to mimic their old-world culture or form a new one? I was playing Fallout 4 earlier and this thought sort of struck me. On the one hand the people of that place are clearly building their own, new, society but, on the other, they're also sticking to the old ways as seen in how pre-war cash and the like holds value despite it being worth the same as toilet paper in terms of material. Also they apparently can weld and even do half-way decent electrical work but, somehow, can't use a broom or figure out how to build a wall without leaving some big holes in it. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junk Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 words lord of the flies uh i'm not sure i guess. would be interesting though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wumples Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 lord of the fliesCouldn't put it better. This would definitely happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex95 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Well... That would depend on the kids, I guess. Put well-behaved kids on an island, and they'd work together. Put spoiled children on the island, and they'd start to depend on others rather than work with them. I know that sounds simple-minded, but that's the best I got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughx Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 There is really no ways to know. Are they from the same cultural backgrounds? (Speaks the same language and all) Or are they all from different parts of the world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Theres a couple different ideas on what might happen that you can find in the young adult section at your local library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Lord of the flies was a bit more of a social commentary than anything else. Anyways... There is really no ways to know. Are they from the same cultural backgrounds? (Speaks the same language and all) Or are they all from different parts of the world? Well, it's an interesting distinction, but it does also bring about one interesting question. If the languages are different will it result in a rift or, given enough time/generations, result in a single language on this island?Also, what about the balance between boys and girls? Or power structures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughx Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) Well, it's an interesting distinction, but it does also bring about one interesting question. If the languages are different will it result in a rift or, given enough time/generations, result in a single language on this island? Depends how related the languages are. For example: French and Spanish are both western romance languages so the resulting "pidgin" or "creole" will be very romance-like. Also a language can borrow a lot of vocabulary from another language. English [which is a germanic language] did borrow a lot of words from old French [which is an italic language]. Edited January 8, 2016 by Naughx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blah the Prussian Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Do they need a civilization? Civilization as a whole is born because people collectively recognize that it is better for them to stick together. In Lord of the Flies this happened, but then Jack had to be a fucking bitch and ruin it. However, it is possible to argue that what existed in Lord of the Flies was a civilization. If they have any previous knowledge of the world they once lived in, I'd say it won't work because they'll try to emulate a civilization that is far, far more advanced than they could ever be. Thus, I'd say no, because there would be no feasible way to make it so that these kids both remembered nothing and survived infancy. The real question is, what unique unit does this civilization have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magical CC Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Not sure if this should belong in serious or not, but I'm going with not since it's an entirely hypothetical. Anyways, what would happen if we took a bunch of kids aged 8-14 and just dumped them on an uninhabited island (assuming enough food/fresh water/resources) and let them build their own society? What do you thing would emerge? A functioning civilization or pure barbarism? Would they try to mimic their old-world culture or form a new one? I was playing Fallout 4 earlier and this thought sort of struck me. On the one hand the people of that place are clearly building their own, new, society but, on the other, they're also sticking to the old ways as seen in how pre-war cash and the like holds value despite it being worth the same as toilet paper in terms of material. Also they apparently can weld and even do half-way decent electrical work but, somehow, can't use a broom or figure out how to build a wall without leaving some big holes in it. Why? The pirates, criminal organizations, human trafficking and organs harvesters will get them first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrhesia Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 They'd fucking die because children can't run a society lmao Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapier Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) I think I understand what you mean, so I'll try to imagine a case scenario where these kids survive despite all the odds and manage to be successfully "quarantined" from other civilizations; maybe they are locked in an alternative dimension and higher forces are very subtly intervening to keep them alive. I think they'll focus on what works better for surviving (because this is their core need), slowly build a culture over habits that work for said purpose and emulate whatever behavior their parents taught them, because it is the only clue they had about how to survive in this world. Also, chances are we'd all be dead before a proper civilization is formed since it takes such a long time, so unfortunately you'd never see the results of your experiment. That said, I don't think the culture they'd develop would be barbaric, but I also think it'd be frowned upon by a modern 21st century person. Human rights would obviously not exist (except from basic concepts such as "don't kill your neighbor without reason, his life is relevant to the continuity of this society"), nor would gender equality (it seems that every culture develops their own notions about men and women and what role they are supposed to follow), among other things that we take for granted and whine about in Tumblr and other social medias. If other civilizations come into existance much later, chances are slavery will also be a thing, because it is an useful element for keeping a civilization alive. Edited January 10, 2016 by Rapier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral "Bull" Halsey Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 lord of the flies I'd say kingdom of the flies o3o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentacotus Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Anyways, what would happen if we took a bunch of kids aged 8-14 and just dumped them on an uninhabited island (assuming enough food/fresh water/resources) and let them build their own society? What do you thing would emerge? A functioning civilization or pure barbarism? Would they try to mimic their old-world culture or form a new one? Ever hear of Little Lamplight from Fallout 3? There was also a vault in Fallout 4 where they put super strong/fast kids into paired with super smart but weak kids. Needless to say the strong ones ganged up on the smart ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonLord Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 You could argue that the tribal group that Jack runs in Lord of the Flies is still a civilization to some extent, even if it seems barbaric. There is always a necessity to adhere to some form of order, it ensures a better chance of survival. It's important to understand that society doesn't necessarily come about because humans are loving and caring individuals (not to say some aren't), but rather because it serves a common interest. Simply put, civilization leads to a higher chance of survival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy_One Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Ever hear of Little Lamplight from Fallout 3? There was also a vault in Fallout 4 where they put super strong/fast kids into paired with super smart but weak kids. Needless to say the strong ones ganged up on the smart ones. Yea. But that place had some pretty big things about it, like how people got banished once they got too old. While Fallout comes close to what I'm sort of talking about the problem is that it still tries to mimic the old world a lot and has plenty of pre-war stuff still around. Hence why I'm saying 'total clean slate'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laluune Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 It could depend on the group of kids what would happen. If their leader was a dictator, if they were street smart or book smart etc. Realistically... 8 - 14, they'd probably die haha. They'd probably eat something poisonous, freeze to death, infections, sickness etc. I don't think they would strive to create new ideologies, they would accept what they've already witnessed so too see what would really happen, wipe their memories :DThere's a bunch of tv shows that kind of imagine this scenario. Reality shows - "Boys and Girls Alone" and "Kid Nation". Then there's "The Tribe", "The 100" and "Between" (I haven't watched that last one, the adults all die or something) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.