That&#x27;s rather <i>Magical</i> thinking right there. In some situation those would be your only choices.<p>Hypothetically, you can slightly adjust the comet&#x27;s orbit and save ~10% of the global population or do nothing.  You have 30 seconds to decide and failure to act within 30 seconds kills everyone. The longer you wait the more people die.<p>PS: Sure, your unlikely to be in that situation.  But, the earth is a finite system and physics does not care.  Or as someone on Easter Island learned you can cut down the last tree.