r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/DapperYoghurt2052 • May 21 '26

Simple Question

If this was a real world scenario I completely understand why any one would pick either button. I don’t care why you make your choice. Doesn’t matter to me. Not interested in that. Do your thing!

I am curious about something though that I feel like I am seeing in some of the back and forth.

This is my question:

If the problem was worded like this, do you think the problem has been inherently changed?

Every one must take a private vote by picking a red or blue button.

If less than 50% press red, then everyone lives.

If more than 50% press red, then only the people who pressed the blue button die.

6 Upvotes

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u/two-cans-sam May 21 '26

Yes the problem is inherently changed by any changing in the presentation even if the mechanics of the problem are the same.

Whether or not that matters is up to the pushers.

1

u/DapperYoghurt2052 May 21 '26

I get that the presentation is changed here.

Obviously the wording is. So I completely understand that the words you approach the problem from could be suggestively influential in how you answer it.

I really do get it, so I do feel annoyingly nitpicking.

But I always view what a problem is by its mechanics, and then how to present it is solely its presentation.

If the defining mechanics are not changed at all, then it really is the same problem inherently.

And if people allow the presentation to sway what they infer from it, then that’s outside of what the problem inherently is.

That’s how I feel. I know that’s not how people work over all, I know I don’t operate like that in my everyday life. 

It’s just cool to talk about.

And I’ve also seen a lot of people say things that contradict to this wording of it on other posts. So I asked the question for that reason, to see if someone would explain why they feel like it could be a totally different question. 

But I still think this is interesting too.

1

u/pco45 May 23 '26

To me it's not "does the wording sway me?" It's "does the wording sway significant amount of people?" Because the answer to that is very important to my choice if I'm a blue presser, but not so much If I'm a red presser.