That wizard is a tricky son of a corncob. He never specifies that the people you don't choose die. Similarly, he never states that the different scenarios are taken from the same period. I think that the two scenarios are infact from the same timline, just taken from different points in time. First: The terrorist organization pisses everyone off, and everyone decides that they should just spend more time doing science Second: The doctor dude does a bunch of cool stuff with science, and causes overpopulation Third: Everyone dies Fourth: Profit? So, the situation makes me feel pretty darn powerless, seeing as I'm not even making a choice, and that the outcome is the same regardless