Humans have personal freedom. We can do whatever we possibly can. But we give some of our freedom
in exchange for security. A country is a land claimed by a group of people. If you want that for yourself,
then you attack them, i.e. wage war against them. If you wish to live there peacefully, then you agree to
their terms. These terms are called laws. You automatically agree to these laws by being born there. The
people who govern that country form the government. There are various types of governments. Arguably,
Democracy is the best form of government. In this system, the people govern themselves and disputes
settled by a vote. The laws of a country are created by the government. As a thought experiment, let’s say
that you don’t belong to any country. Then, the only factor which affects your actions is your morality.
What you ‘feel’ is right and wrong. Some people lack morals and in this scenario, those kinds of people
can do whatever pleases them. This is exactly what happens in Fallout 4. Since no laws are implemented
in the Commonwealth, the people living there are not restricted by anyone.
Which faction is morally correct?
In Fallout, we make a decision on which faction to choose from. In the last edition, we saw that since we
live in the Commonwealth, no laws apply to us. We are purely guided by our morals. In this edition, I will
illustrate which faction is correct from a moral standpoint. Ready, let’s get started. Let’s have a quick look at the factions and their basic goals.
The Minutemen: This faction is by far the most peaceful faction in the game. They do not hold enmity
against anyone and do not intend to harm anyone. They aim to bring about peace in the Commonwealth
and help those in need.
The Brotherhood of Steel: This faction isn’t the most peaceful nor is it the most violent. They despise The
Institute as technology gone too far. They seek to destroy The Institute and their synths as they feel
threatened by them.
The Railroad: This faction also falls under the category of peaceful. They consider the synths to be equal
to humans and that they deserve freedom. They seek to free the synths and this indirectly makes The
Institute their enemy, however, they do not mean to destroy it.
The Institute: This faction is the most violent faction of all. They consider the Commonwealth to be
beyond repair and seek to destroy it. They seek to destroy all the other factions, be self-sustainable and
live in their own location, safe from outside attackers.
Now let’s take a detailed look at them and analyze them morally:
The Minutemen: Enough said about The Minutemen. It’s unfair to say they have any red in their ledger. [
Moral ]
The Brotherhood of Steel: We already know that they seek to destroy The Institute and their synths. Let us
now analyze if their fight is justified. Artificial Intelligence (All computers fall into this category) is
divided into three categories – Artificial Narrow Intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence and Artificial
Super Intelligence. Artificial Narrow Intelligence is good at one thing and one thing only. For example,
Google Maps is an example of Artificial Narrow Intelligence. Artificial General Intelligence is equal to
the human brain and can do everything the human brain can. This includes feeling sorrow, joy, empathy,
etcetera. Artificial Super Intelligence is better than the brain. Much better than the brain. The transition
between ANI and AGI takes many decades but the transition between AGI and ASI takes only a few
hours. What happens after AI reaches this level is unclear. It may consider humans as a threat to its
existence and try to kill us. If that is the case, then we can very well consider it impossible to defend
against ASI. I was wondering if this was all speculation but now I feel it is a justified cause. Take this
scenario, if your neighbour has a knife with him, you do not feel threatened as you can defend against it
with a knife of your own. Likewise, a gun with a gun. Or even, two guns with a gun if you are lucky. You
feel threatened by the fact that your neighbour has a knife as there is always that chance that he may stab
you with it. However, it is an unreasonable issue as you can always defend against it. Now, replace this
gun with a mini nuke. It sounds stupid but this is exactly the scenario we are faced with. The synths may
unleash an attack in which you couldn’t possibly defend yourself. This is why The Brotherhood of Steel
feels threatened by The Institute. The Institute could make sure the synths will not turn against humanity
by reducing their intelligence or by keeping a failsafe or by destroying it themselves. Since the Institute
does not do any of these, The Brotherhood of Steel is morally authorized to destroy The Institute. [ Moral
]
The Railroad: They believe the synths are equal to humans and that they deserve freedom. They believe
The Institute enslaves the synths. They plan on letting the synths go free. However, this runs into the same problem we faced with The Brotherhood of Steel. What if the synths turn against humanity? Their cause is moral but the outcome is unclear. [ Moral ]
The Institute: They are the boogeyman of the Commonwealth. They seek to destroy all the other factions
for their own personal gains. They replace people with synths to remind the others they are out there.
They run experiments on animals and humans. They are run by scientists. [ Immoral ]
Which faction has the most rewards? [ Regardless of morals ]