To add to that thought: Before THAT person died, someone ELSE had died in the previously most painful way possible, and at some point in the future someone else will probably find an even MORE painful way to die that we can’t even imagine.
At some point it will probably reach a limit where one needs to be unusually susceptible to pain to die an even more painful death.
That’s assuming all the pain happens within a given span of time. As long as we can keep lengthening human lifespans, the length of a painful death can keep stretching out.
To be clear, I’m not happy about this thought, I’ve just thought about the worst ways to die a lot more than is healthy.
Well, the topic is horrible but since we are already at it why not just get it done with?
Would a too prolonged suffering count as a painful death if the person is not dying for most of it? Many people live with chronic pains but I wouldn’t count that.
If you’re intentionally torturing them to death the entire time, I think it’d count.
But for that they would need to be increasingly weakened without the chance to recover, and there is only so far that can be pushed. If it’s just prolonged torture that doesn’t make the person any closer to death, then it’s just torture.
Who’s to say they couldn’t be allowed to partially recover? What is somebody sanded off 2mm of skin, rotating locations such that they only hit the same spot every 3 days, for instance? This type of permanently damaging long-term torture could be made to drag on for years and steadily march the victim towards death.
Feels like that going against the spirit of the thing. If they are recovering, it isn’t a dying process.
Morbid curiosity piqued, has a person ever been spaced? (Not just vacuumed)
The closest would be the Soyuz 11 disaster. A seal on the re-entry vehicle was damaged when the capsule detached prior to re-entry. Terrible way to go I imagine.
Cant be too far from drowning in a ship.
More pleasant, probably. Drowning takes a bit. Zero pressure results in a near instant blackout.
Presumably there could have been a point where someone drifted gently off to wherever it is we all go, comfortable and surrounded by loved ones, and in their naivety everyone present thought “oh how awful”.
I’ve been on the Internet for a while now and I can safely assure you that the those even more painful ways of dying may not have happened yet, but someone certainly thought then up already.
They died in the most painful way possible so far
Oh, I’m hearing some cereal killer aspirations.
*No one is going to convince me it’s spelt any differently
deleted by creator
Fortunately, when pain gets too extreme, it flips a breaker of sorts in your brain and you stop feeling it so much. Happens during really catastrophic trauma, presumably to keep the pain from distracting you too much from your (at that point probably necessary) fight or flight reactions.
Adrenaline is part of it, but I don’t think it’s solely responsible, as its not always present in accounts. Sometimes people can be very calm.
That’s why psychological torture is preferred by a lot of “advanced interrogators”.
Keep someone locked in the same uncomfortable position for days while you’re blasting aggressive disorienting sounds and randomly flashing blinding lights in a room with mirrors.
Once in a while, take them and do a few hours of water boarding. Make sure they’re constantly sleep deprived and can never get more than a few minutes of sleep.
Then when you do want to inflict physical pain, focus on the feet very slowly. Feet is one of the most sensitive areas. Slowly start peeling the skin or stick nails through the toes, or practice some electroshock therapy.
Honestly torture is terrifying. I recently read a long form article about it. Worst part is, our “civilized” governments still do this with some amount of regularity. Would be more civilized to put a bullet in the head.
Then think about near future where we can read thoughts (like 1984 where the “advanced interrogator” reads the protagonists mind to figure out what his greatest fear is) or even worse implant thoughts. They could implant images of you murdering your family or something. There’s a lot of potential for some horrifying stuff.
Where did you get to know this? I want to read about it
That’s why in some science fiction, see Warhammer 40K, they have technology that let you keep on feeling that pain long after you should be well and thoroughly dead. Honestly I’m not sure who’s better at it, the Imperium or the Dark Eldar.
The cartel kinda did this in Funkytown, they hooked the guy up to an adrenaline IV so he would remain conscious while they skinned him.
So perhaps the most painful death would be just before that threshold.
I’ve seen some nasty videos I’d rather forget where they scream and cry all the way through it.
Calm is just a shock response to stop you from spurting out all your blood. It’s the exact opposite of an adrenal reaction
That’s also different than your brain dumping a bunch of neurotransmitters as you’re dying. There’s no advantage to that, it’s just what happens as your brain dies.
Sure, makes sense. My postulation is that adrenaline is not the sole cause of decreased pain sensation during severe trauma, despite often getting the credit. Is that likely accurate in your estimation?
No, it’s the dumping of neural transmitters as the brain dies.
Adrenaline is a painkiller, but you’re not going to be juiced on adrenaline and calm. The calm is after
Is adrenaline the only pain-killing mechanism the brain has at its disposal?
What?
I just said it wasn’t…
There’s a whole bunch. Oxytocin, dopamine, really every endorphin is a painkiller.
I was just looking for clarification on how likely it is that adrenaline bears sole responsibility. Reading your earlier answers did not directly address this in a way I could understand. I think we’ve resolved it now though.
deleted by creator
What about total cumulative pain suffered? If somebody particularly nasty managed to find a way to continuously torture a person while staying just below the threshold of complete organ failure, and the victim was artificially kept alive and suffering for several years, that would tick both your criteria at the same time
deleted by creator
Someone has certainly died more painfully than anyone else, but they haven’t necessarily died in the most painful way possible.
That’s true. Fair enough.
I wonder if someone can give any examples of these painful ways to die
The guy that got stuck upside down in a cave for hours is pretty horrifying.
He died via heart attack tho iirc so…not so bad?
It took days and they broke his legs trying to recover him, pretty bad I’d say
Ok but that’s not how he died. That’s what happened before he died. In terms of the whole experience yeah no bueno
Ok but that’s not how he died.
Everybody dies because their brain stops sending signals… The experience is part of it
I feel like the real torture was done to his brother and friends.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull
"The brazen bull … was an alleged torture and execution device designed in ancient Greece. … The bull was said to be hollow and made entirely out of bronze with a door in one side. According to legends, the brazen bull was designed in the form and size of an actual bull and had an acoustic apparatus that converted screams into the sound of a bull. The condemned were locked inside the device, and a fire was set under it, heating the metal until the person inside was roasted to death.
“Stories allege after finishing construction on the execution device, Perilaus said to Phalaris: “His screams will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings.” Perilaus believed he would receive a reward for his invention. Instead, Phalaris, who was disgusted by these words, ordered its horn sound system to be tested by Perilaus himself, tricking him into getting in the bull. When Perilaus entered, he was immediately locked in and the fire was set, so that Phalaris could hear the sound of his screams. Before Perilaus could die, Phalaris opened the door and took him away. After freeing him from the bull, Phalaris is then said to have taken Perilaus to the top of a hill and thrown him off, killing him. Phalaris himself is claimed to have been killed in the brazen bull when he was overthrown by Telemachus, the ancestor of Theron.”
"The brazen bull … was an alleged torture and execution device designed in ancient Greece
There’s zero evidence that was ever used tho…
A lot of the “terrible tortures of the past” are bullshit because the people that came next wanted to look civilized compared to the past.
I think for this one, someone found a bronze bull that could fit a person inside and some pipes. It’s way more likely the person in there just played the pipes like horns
Well sure, but if it was real it would be a horrifying way to die. I imagine akin to being burned at the stake in a way.
How about acute radiation sickness?
I’d have to agree with this one, and the most painful example of this that I can think of is Hisashi Ouchi, otherwise known as the most irradiated man in history.
deleted by creator
Low-quality bait is Low-quality.
I don’t see the Tokaimura nuclear accidents (which led to the aforementioned death of Hisashi Ouchi) as a reason to dismiss nuclear energy. Even if this is bait as @[email protected] mentioned, I want to make it clear that wasn’t my intention behind bringing up Ouchi’s death, and shouldn’t be twisted into a case against nuclear energy as a whole.
The Tokaimura accident of 1999 was the result of improper safety, due to the facility failing to install the necessary alarms should criticality occur, and cost-cutting by having workers mix uranium in steel drums instead of proper vats that would control the rate at which it’s mixed (which would have prevented criticality). In essence, had the proper safety measures been followed, the incident would not have occurred. The same can be said for most nuclear disasters, especially the famous Chernobyl disaster.
A compiled list of nuclear incidents (which also includes events aside from nuclear reactors) can be found here:
It’s evident that nuclear incidents, especially those pertaining to reactors, are incredibly uncommon, and this is the result of strict safety protocols that cannot be shirked, as well as an extreme number of fail-safes in the event of a malfunction. The most recent major nuclear event- The Fukushima Disaster, required an earthquake, tsunami, compounded with human error- extraordinary circumstances that not only are extremely rare, but have been learned from too.
If the reason to ban nuclear energy is due to a small handful of disasters like these, then logic dictates that this should be expanded to a myriad of products. How about pesticides, due to the Bhopal Disaster? How about getting rid of dams, due to the1975 Banqiao Dam Failure, that led to thousands of deaths?
The truth of the matter is that much of the large scale infrastructure that we rely on, especially in industry and energy production, can fail on extremely rare occasions, and lead to tremendous loss of life. But through strict safety measures, training, and human ingenuity, the threat of disaster is minuscule.
TL;DR: Singling out nuclear energy as a problem when the same concerns can be raised for any industry is hypocritical, and just the result of fear-mongering. It is safe.
My bet would be cartel torture with adrenaline to keep the victim awake.
That’s cruel
I would imagine some of the worst are rare conditions that take you from the inside out. I can’t find reference to the name of the disease, but I swear I remember seeing a bone condition that caused spiky growths, almost like crystals, to form from your bones.
It would be slow and excruciating and you would beg for death long before it ever came.
I think thats bone cancer. Its awful… I hope they find a cure or just instantly encourage euthanasia. No one should go trough that ever…
but I swear I remember seeing a bone condition that caused spiky growths, almost like crystals, to form from your bones.
That’s what bone cancer is…
Sometimes it’s just a lump in one spot. Sometimes it’s a whole bunch of tiny growths that push into nerves and flesh.
Proteus Disease is what the Elephant Man had, but that’s really just a super specific version of bone cancer.
deleted by creator
Oh my god. First time I heard of this. Gruesome. And it’s sad that most of the ones killed are because of honor.
The way they dealt with the ‘rulers’ in the mustard uprising in Europe come to mind.
Dan Carlin did a whole hours long pod cast on it.
I was extremely confused trying to remember if Dan did an episode about mustard. But yeah that ep was brutal and entertaining!
Oh… I… I just assumed it was spelt mustard. Figured the word is like 6000 years old…
Cheers.
And it could happen to you!
Complete proton reversal?
Yes they did. And here’s their story: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/
Warning: hardcore history really earns its name in this episode. And you may wish you could un-hear some of the things you’ll hear in this podcast.
Well I’m not so sure I want to listen now
Cheers bro, I’ll drink to that
I don’t know. I think we need controlled studies to find out what the actual most painful way possible to die is. How many rapists and murderers do we have? I’m sure we can spare some of those for testing purposes.
Personally, my money is on someone being slowly fed into a wood chipper while on fire and drinking battery acid.
Well, they probably didn’t do it very scientifically but if they could think of it and the tools existed, someone in history is likely to have tried it as a method for killing people.
Impaled people, for instance, could allegedly take days to die. Being slowly eaten by ants or rats sounds pretty painful too
There’s one called “life” that is pretty cruel too. It might take anywhere from seconds to more than a hundred years for it to eventually kill you and some.people get to experience a lot of pain throughout the experience.
Dude I’ve had depression since I was in first grade, so you’re preaching to the choir on that last one. But no I was speaking of scientific method here.
Shit, I’m sorry, it was insensitive of me to make that joke (well, half-joke)
Joke? It’s the straight up truth.
Don’t feel sorry for people wanting to experiment on living humans to find the most gruesome form of death…
He mentions rapists and murderers. I choose to think that they don’t deserve to be given a gruesome death (or a death sentence at all for that matter) but I’d be lying if I said I have never felt that way when reading about some f-ed up stuff on the news. Maybe I’m also higher on the Hitler scale than I thought I was.
If you can support the death penalty for them, then you can also support the irreversible traumatization of them.
However, if you cannot be confident enough in your justice system, just don’t do it. A wrongful conviction would have no possible restitution for death or torture.
I agree with you, and that’s what I choose to think when I feel like the “best” version of me.
But there are moments (or a part of me) that has a way more violent disposition and feels differently about people who do terrible thing.
I’m a very calm person and not at all violent so please don’t report me to the police on the base of these posts… That violent part of me is small and weak, but I just think it’s important to acknowledge it because it’s also the part that makes me recognize that a rapist or a murderer is a person like me and that it might be me, with the wrong set of circumstances, life choices and frame of mind.
