Door #1 and Door #2
“The Terminator Analogy,” by Arnold Swartzennagger
Before what has been called “The Terminator Analogy,” there are two other brief yet interesting analogies.
“I, personally, want a plan.
√ I don’t want to be like the last horse and buggy salesman who was holding out as cars took over the roads.
√ I don’t want to be the last investor in Blockbuster as Netflix emerged.
That’s exactly what is going to happen to fossil fuels.
A clean energy future is a wise investment, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either wrong, or lying.
Either way, I wouldn’t take their investment advice.
Renewable energy is great for the economy, and you don’t have to take my word for it.
California has some of the most revolutionary environmental laws in the United States, we get 40% of our power from renewables, and we are 40% more energy efficient than the rest of the country. We were an early-adopter of a clean energy future.”
The analogies call up the constant movement of American progress and technology — old and recent — the horseless carriage and Netflix.
If calls up the idea of being “on the right side of history.” Just like those who refused to change with the advent of the automobile, or with the coming of Netflix, there are those today who resist the change to green energy!
You could take either or both of those analogies and “run them out.” With just a little historical research into the buggy and the coming of the automobile, you could construct a really powerful analogy.1
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Then Swartzennagger goes into his more developed and famous “Door #1 or Door #2” analogy.
“There are two doors.
Behind Door Number One is a completely sealed room, with a regular, gasoline-fueled car.
Behind Door Number Two is an identical, completely sealed room, with an electric car.
Both engines are running full blast.
I want you to pick a door to open, and enter the room and shut the door behind you. You have to stay in the room you choose for one hour. You cannot turn off the engine. You do not get a gas mask.
I’m guessing you chose the Door Number Two, with the electric car, right?
Door number one is a fatal choice – who would ever want to breathe those fumes?
I just hope that you’ll join me in opening Door Number Two, to a smarter, cleaner, healthier, more profitable energy future.”
Analysis:
First of all, Swartzneggar’s beginning analogies are better “analogical / short-cut arguments” than his analogy of “Door #1 and Door #2.”
Second, the “Door #1 or Door#2” analogy is seriously flawed.
#1) It Is An Unrealistic Analogy: The argument is weak at best. Obviously, no one is going to choose a door which leads them into a dangerous and life-threatening situation.
By definition, “Door #2” is beyond a risky choice, but it is a deadly choice.
That would be like asking someone, which body of water would you rather water ski on . . . .
#1) Lake Michigan
or
#2) Lake Ocacheobi ( located outside of the alligator-infested everglades of Florida — or that matter any body of water in Florida).
The two choices are not comparatively rational options and therefore are not real choices. The choices are between the harmless and the deadly. Who takes the risk of choosing the deadly — randomly.
Likewise, because the Lake Ocacheobi choice is deadly, it does not mean that the sport of water skiing out to be outlawed. But if we did not know what body of water we were on, the choice of such a risky venture would be irrational to a thinking person.
#2) It Could Be A Renovated: The analogy could focus on two alternative analogous elements.
Instead of “harmless” versus “deadly,” it could be “the known” versus “the unknown” — which then bring in the concept of known risk.
It would sound something like this . . . .
“There are two doors.
Both Door #1) and Door #2) bring you into a completely sealed room.
Unknown to you in each room is a fully running automobile engine.
When you enter the room, the door will automatically lock behind you.
It will automatically unlock after one hour.
In one of those rooms is a running gasoline-fueled car engine.
In the other room is a running electric car engine.
(Unnecessary: “Both engines are running full blast.”)
One is obviously a door to a room which is deadly.
The other is obviously harmless.
Standing behind one of those two doors is a harmless choice.
Behind the other door is a fatal choice.
Those are the two unknown choices which pose the risk of a deadly possibility.
If what is behind each door remains unknown, you are tosing a coin — heads you live and tails you die!
If you must randomly choose Door #1 or Door #2 — you realize that you are facing a 50 % chance of dying.
Most of us would not take such a risk without a good reason — a high reward, an unimaginable pay off!
HOWEVER . . . . today, we are not left with the unknown, with random risk, with a deadly possibility, with two unknown doors and rooms.
Today, the doors are both marked, and we know which room presents a healthier life and which one spells death.
Today, we know what the harmless versus the fatal door is.
Knowing what is behind each door means that it is no longer a guessing game, no longer a random decision.
We would choose the door marked “Electric Car” — right
I’m guessing — you would avoid the door marked “gasoline engine.”
Today, there is no good reason or even need to take any risk.
Today, we know that there is no high reward or imaginable payoff to go with fossil fuels.
I just hope that with all we now know about environmental health, you’ll join me in opening the door and walking into the room marked — a smarter, cleaner, healthier, more profitable energy future.
A Salvation Analogy: Let’s try to build a spiritual analogy using the same “Door #1 and Door #2” analogy.
The Lord states that there are only two options: Eternal life through His death or eternal death without Him.
Imagine with me that there are two doors in front of you — Door #1 and Door #2.
Behind one door is eternal life, and behind the other door is eternal loss.
You must decide which door you are going to choose.
There is no way to know which door leads to what.
Both are identical and inviting.
You face a 50% chance of walking into an eternity with the Lord God or an equal chance of being separated from Him forever.
There is no way to know which is behind what door — because the doors look identical
You would never knowingly or wilfully choose an eternity without God. But how are you to know?
It would be just a lucky guess!
That is how some people look at their eternal options . . . .
• Who knows?
• There is no way to know.
• I hope I am going to “heaven.” But you can’t know.
• Is it eternal life through Christ alone, else you’re lost?
• Maybe there are a lot of doors which all lead to the same room. Then, either “door” will work.
• No one has ever come back after walking through the right door and told us which was the right one.
Indeed there are only two options:
By Grace Through Christ
By Works Through Self-Effort
However, you are not left to luck, to a random choice, or a “I hope I get it right at the end.”
Fortunately, it has not been left to the flip of a coin. What an unthinkable way to end up in heaven or hell — the luck of the draw!
When it comes to salvation, you can know which door leads to an eternity with your Creator.
Christ has marked the right and only door — with a cross. It’s the “cross” marked door!
1. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/automobile.htm
http://www.earlyamericanautomobiles.com/americanautomobiles25.htm
Link to Schwarzenegger’s original tweet
Arnold Swartzneggar — December 7, 2015
“I see your questions.
Each and every time I post on my Facebook page or tweet about my crusade for a clean energy future, I see them.
There are always a few of you, asking why we should care about the temperature rising, or questioning the science of climate change.
I want you to know that I hear you. Even those of you who say renewable energy is a conspiracy. Even those who say climate change is a hoax. Even those of you who use four-letter words.
I’ve heard all of your questions, and now I have three questions for you.
Let’s put climate change aside for a minute. In fact, let’s assume you’re right.
First – do you believe it is acceptable that 7 million people die every year from pollution? That’s more than murders, suicides, and car accidents – combined.
Every day, 19,000 people die from pollution from fossil fuels. Do you accept those deaths? Do you accept that children all over the world have to grow up breathing with inhalers?
Now, my second question: do you believe coal and oil will be the fuels of the future?
Besides the fact that fossil fuels destroy our lungs, everyone agrees that eventually they will run out. What’s your plan then?
I, personally, want a plan. I don’t want to be like the last horse and buggy salesman who was holding out as cars took over the roads. I don’t want to be the last investor in Blockbuster as Netflix emerged. That’s exactly what is going to happen to fossil fuels.
A clean energy future is a wise investment, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either wrong, or lying. Either way, I wouldn’t take their investment advice.
Renewable energy is great for the economy, and you don’t have to take my word for it. California has some of the most revolutionary environmental laws in the United States, we get 40% of our power from renewables, and we are 40% more energy efficient than the rest of the country. We were an early-adopter of a clean energy future.
Our economy has not suffered. In fact, our economy in California is growing faster than the U.S. economy. We lead the nation in manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, entertainment, high tech, biotech, and, of course, green tech.
I have a final question, and it will take some imagination.
There are two doors. Behind Door Number One is a completely sealed room, with a regular, gasoline-fueled car. Behind Door Number Two is an identical, completely sealed room, with an electric car. Both engines are running full blast.
I want you to pick a door to open, and enter the room and shut the door behind you. You have to stay in the room you choose for one hour. You cannot turn off the engine. You do not get a gas mask.
I’m guessing you chose the Door Number Two, with the electric car, right? Door number one is a fatal choice – who would ever want to breathe those fumes?
This is the choice the world is making right now.
To use one of the four-letter words all of you commenters love, x xxxxx xxxx x xxxx if you believe in climate change. I couldn’t care less if you’re concerned about temperatures rising or melting glaciers. It doesn’t matter to me which of us is right about the science.
I just hope that you’ll join me in opening Door Number Two, to a smarter, cleaner, healthier, more profitable energy future.”
RhetoricAndHomiletics.Org 
Very well put!
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