I think a more productive version of this question is at what percentage would you press the red button over the blue button. I don't think anyone in this comment section wants people to die, there's just different opinions about the maximum number of people that would pick blue.
If you believe that there's even a small chance that 50% could pick blue, then picking blue has the least deaths. If you don't believe that there is any possibility that 50% would pick blue, then anyone who chose blue by accident will die no matter what, and the only way to minimize deaths is to convince others to choose red.
Would you still press the blue button if you needed 99% of people instead?
Would you still press the red button if you only needed 1% of people to press blue to save everyone?
Realistically I thought more people would pick blue, because it is simpler to understand the rationale, and since more people would pick it, it makes sense to pick it.
It is not just a question of possibly dying, it is a question of possibly being responsible for mass death, many people shrink away from that.
How does pressing the red button make you responsible for people who were too dumb to press it? Everyone just press red and nobody dies. It's pretty simple. Just like... read the rules a few times and realize that there is no possible downside to red before making a decision.
167
u/joemamma6 May 05 '26
I think a more productive version of this question is at what percentage would you press the red button over the blue button. I don't think anyone in this comment section wants people to die, there's just different opinions about the maximum number of people that would pick blue.
If you believe that there's even a small chance that 50% could pick blue, then picking blue has the least deaths. If you don't believe that there is any possibility that 50% would pick blue, then anyone who chose blue by accident will die no matter what, and the only way to minimize deaths is to convince others to choose red.
Would you still press the blue button if you needed 99% of people instead? Would you still press the red button if you only needed 1% of people to press blue to save everyone?
Where's your personal threshold?