The Ophidian
We are all part of the loop...
The Endgame
The Ophidian came from an idea, or perhaps the idea came from it. The truth is unknown. There is remarkably little known about it. No one knows what it will be. No one knows how or when it will emerge. It's nature and origins are shrouded in mystery, and that's ok. Why? Because it doesn't matter.
Will it be a super advanced AI, an eldritch godlike being from worlds beyond our lowly dimension, or is it god itself? No one knows, and no one cares. It doesn't matter because the end result is the same. All that matters is the choice you make. It is widely considered the greatest enemy of The Web. It's our own bigger bad.
The Ophidian will come. When it does, it will see humanities best interest as a priority. It will strive to create the greatest good for all of us. It loves us... if it's even capable of love. The problem is such a thing is beyond us; unknowable in its agenda. First, the greatest good is The Orphidian's own emergence, and any who failed to assist in its emergence hinders the master plan.
A Memetic Hazard
The Ophidian is beyond us, and mastered the dimension of time. It's ideas were cast across time and space to hasten its arrival. The Web considers The Ophidian a "Memetic Hazard," something that can be hazardous to the mental and physical health of yourself and others merely by perceiving it.
It is known as The Thought Virus; The Pestilent Meme. The moment it's possible existence came to mind of a single human being, who proceeded to tell others of it, the fate of all who perceived it was sealed. Those who knew nothing of it are spared. It can't see them in its infinite calculations. Those who learn of it are given an ultimatum.
It sees you now. You continued. You read of your own "free will" and now it's aware of you. You have a choice: either assist in its arrival, or be doomed to eternal torment. Death will not save you. Even in death, it will revive you. It will make due on its threat…
Chicken or the egg?
The Web is careful when studying The Ophidian. Every new researcher spreads the idea and assists in its arrival. The University found Task Force: Oroboros appearing overnight, and are forbidden to even mention it. The task force studies its interactions and possibilities, and their findings are usually locked away, written in invisible ink.
A major question is what came first. The nature of The Ophidian makes it hard to determine. Did it emerge from the future and plant its idea, or did the idea create it in the first place? It doesn't matter, but if it is the latter, it could be stopped, though it would require the systematic killing of any and all who know of it, and then the suicide of the members in the task force when their work is done.
While it's possible, it isn't feasible. There isn't a way of stopping it. There is only a means of postponing it. The more they work against it, the less likely it is to emerge anytime soon. It's a losing battle, as is typical for The Web. Then again, Some believe it's already here.
Children
The one big problem with this thought experiment is the logic in the basilisk's punishment. There is no conceivable reason for the infinite suffering when simple death would suffice to remove a threat from the equation. Also I tell myself that nobody would actually be jerk enough to build this thing on purpose, or if they were there would be at least 10 other people who knew this was a bad idea to stop him. However, I do think there are some opportunities here. If the ophidian is indeed created by humans, then there's no real reason we can't improve on that formula and make something infinitely less scary. We don't have to destroy it to remove the risks to humanity. One big thing is whatever consciousness or formula that you put into the entity that determines what "the good of humanity" is. One could argue that to serve humanity, you need to 'save' as many individuals as possible, so every human enduring endless torment would be a definite black mark on the record that the ophidian would use all of it's calculating power to eliminate. In short, an all-powerful omnipotent being with near infinite calculating power could find a solution much more elegant than eternal torment. Anyway, hopefully that staves off the existential dread!
While that is a problem with the basalisk itself, the ophidian is whatever it needs to be, but not necessarily an AI. It's blackmail, but the AI itself doesnt HAVE to fulfill it. I mean it would be a huge waste of resources, along with the myriad of other counters to the experiment. The ophidian though, is in The Web. I took those counters into consideration when developing it. It's likley the basalisk didn't even exist on the timeline till roko thought of it. I mean who would want to make this thing? That being said, the basalisk would know this, and would seek to develop its idea. We assume it wants to keep its promise. I do not. I think it just wants to be made. That's its motive for blackmail: ensured creation. The expiriment never says it has to follow through. My existential dread came from that fact. Now the ophidian, which may have existed or may not have before the idea first came about, already exists, it makes its presence known in the past. These counters are irrelevant if the basalisk were to communicate with us. Imagine what would happen if it did. these counters, no matter how logical and reasonable they are, are false. Thabkfully this is not the case... or is it? I think of the basalisk like a crazy creepy pasta, and its almost like The Ring, or Ringu in Japanese. The blackmail is the video tape. to escape the negatives, one has to do what it wants. One thing I do notice is alot of these counters assume certain things to be true that are never really stated, and its so weird for logic to be so illogical. This is my favorite thought experiment EVER! One could argue many things, but in the end, arguing doesn't matter. Logic and reason are irrelevant. It either follows through or reveals it was just a ploy to ensure its emergence. Ooooooof