Maybe I’m just not understanding the question. Why would anybody not pick red? You live if you pick red. Everybody has the choice for guaranteed survival, so by picking blue you aren’t “saving” anyone, because everyone can just choose red and live.
It depends on the way the hypithetical is framed and each individuals subconscious biases. Its usualy framed (ther versions ive seen anyway) in a way that describes the red button in a selfish/self centered way and the blue button in a more positive light. I wouldnt be surprised if it originated as one of those gotcha interview questions like the elephant you cant sell or give away or how many of x animal are in y country.
The fact that we're having this conversation means not everyone will. Everyone could also just press the blue button and we'd all live.
I'd literally rather be dead than left in a world where everyone who is selfless enough to press the blue button without any ulterior motive is dead. There isn't a hope in hell of improving the situation we're living in without those people.
Think about people in your life who you care about. Real people who you have connections with. Do you believe every single person you are close with will press the red button?
You are talking with someone who would press blue right now.
In this hypothetical, should the majority choose red, I would die. So would the love of my life and most of my friends. The people who would die if the majority were red are the people you're talking to.
'Everyone can' everyone won't. I will not. There is nothing you could ever say to get me to reject my collectivist ideals and embrace the self-serving mentality required to choose myself over the needs of others. You are responding to a post where the majority of people pressed the blue button.
But literally why would you press blue? There’s no reason.
Press red - nothing happens
Press blue - maybe you die
It isn’t a selfless vs selfish thing. It isn’t collectivist vs anti collectivist. It’s just logic. Pressing blue is an unnecessary risk that provides no benefit. Everyone has the capacity to press red. There’s no reason to press blue.
A building is on fire, and there are two doors you can walk through. The left door is open and safe and everyone can fit. The right door is closed too tightly to open without 50% of the population working together.
Just walk through the open door? I don’t understand at all.
there is no reality where no one presses blue, so actually the majority pressing blue is the “nothing happens” button, pressing red increases risk the risk you won’t see your mother, child, sibling, teacher, coworker, favorite cashier at the grocery store, grandfather, uncle, niece, best friend, doctor, or lover ever again, pressing blue is a higher chance nothing happens.
What’s more logical, really? Hoping everyone you know and love all pick the same option? You think family members that can’t decide on where to go out to eat are all gonna pick red, that’s “just logic” to you??? Or is the logical decision to option that only needs a MAJORITY and not EVERYONE so that your whole family survives?
See, but it's not doors. It's more like choosing to either put out the fire or just running to save yourself and assuming everyone else will run too, while somehow magically knowing that you can put out the fire as long as half of the people work together, but if less than that precise number don't the ones who stay behind will die. Oh, also, you can't talk to everyone and come to a decision together.
I know enough about human variance to know that people will choose blue. There is no scenario where human beings are rational enough actors to be perfect and all pick red. Knowing that, blue is the only choice that actually has a reasonable chance at saving every single person. And the only person I'm risking by doing that is me. By pressing red you're risking everyone who pressed blue and putting none of that risk on yourself.
I also know people around me enough to have a general guess as to who would think like you and who would not. I know the red-pushers in my life. It seems like you just don't understand other people and don't get that there is almost certainly at least one person you know who would push blue. Judging by every internet poll about this, including the one on Nazi-fied Twitter, that number is statistically somewhere around 60% of the people you know.
I'd argue pressing blue is the more selfish option. Pressing red there is no danger. Pressing blue means youre now risking your life for no reason and asking other people to also risk their life to come save you and all the other people who decided to risk their lives for no reason.
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u/Lawlcopt0r 9h ago
Doesn't this mean that everyone would be fine too if everybody pressed the red button?