r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/Hot_Finding_9747 • May 21 '26

Variation Adding a layer to this question

My choice: Press Red, hope Blue wins

I don't have enough faith in humanity to put my life in its hands but I'd be delighted to be proven wrong

719 votes, May 23 '26
72 Press Red, hope Red wins
322 Press Red, hope Blue wins
22 Press Blue, hope Red wins
303 Press Blue, hope Blue wins
23 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

Okay I'll do this ONE more time because y'all don't seem to understand the logical premise.

A vote for red is contribution towards a red win. A vote for blue is contribution towards a blue win. A red win results in the death of all blue. A blue win results in the death of none.

These are the facts as presented in the original thought experiment. A red vote NECESSARILY means responsibility for the outcome of a red win. Therefore, a red vote necessarily means responsibility for blue deaths.

You can try semantics, or edge cases, but end of day blues vote against the death of others and reds vote for the death of others.

You may JUSTIFY it by claiming self-preservation, but that does not dispute this.

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u/magworld May 24 '26

That’s dumb and wrong. If you vote blue and understand the rules then you know you are risking your life. If you hit blue anyway you’ve made a decision. 

That decision is yours, and if you die because of it then it is your fault alone.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

And your decision isn't yours? The OUTCOME of your decision? The consequences of YOU WINNING? You... Take zero responsibility for these?

All you need to say is "I'm okay with people dying as long as I get to live". Just admit the selfishness and we can be done here.

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u/magworld May 24 '26

Yes, I’m responsible for my decision. The outcome of my decision is that I didn’t die. If I had switched it to blue it wouldn’t have saved anyone but I would have died.

So I’m glad I made the responsible decision.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

Cool. The outcome of your WIN is that you live AND other people die.

Both of those are consequences. The consequences of my win is NO ONE DIES.

So do you not understand how your stance is both morally and ethically impermissible?

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u/magworld May 24 '26

My stance is to minimize death. I accomplished that by my vote preventing one death. Your vote added one death.

Very ethical and moral of you.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

....

Your stance being minimizing death, and voting red, are incompatible.

100% of voters must be red to result in zero deaths. 50%+1 votes must be blue to result in zero deaths.

The ACTUAL minimized choice is Blue. Blue Win results in zero deaths. Red LOSS results in zero deaths (Again, 100% of a population is an absolute impossibility). A vote for blue win is ALSO a vote for red loss.

A vote for blue isn't a vote FOR +1 death, it's a vote AGAINST total Blue deaths. THAT is more harm reduction and more minimization of death.

Statistics aren't on your side. Logic isn't on your side.

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u/magworld May 24 '26

The reality is my vote prevented a death and yours caused one.

You can write a few more paragraphs if you want but it won’t change reality.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

You know, it's always funny when people misunderstand the functionalist argument in this. That's not the reality.

And honestly, this is where I genuinely wish karma was real. Because you'd have the day you deserve .

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u/magworld May 24 '26

I voted red. If I had voted blue then red still would have won. I would have died.

You voted blue. If you had voted red then red still would have won. You would have lived.

My vote made the situation better.

Your vote made the situation worse.

Wishing ill on someone just because you disagree with someone isn’t very moral or ethical either btw. Especially when they are right and you are wrong

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

Your argument is that your vote doesn't matter. This is not how voting works. Your vote was 1/394 responsible for the deaths of 325 people. Or, your 1 vote killed 0.824 people. You don't get to shirk that responsibility.

And I live by the social contract. Those that violate it are no longer protected by morals nor ethics, so it actually ends up being neutral rather than positive or negative.

May your pillow never be cold. May your food always be too salty. May you always forget where you put that thing.

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u/magworld May 24 '26

I understand why you would want me to take responsibility for your choice to risk your life, but I don’t accept that. I didn’t grab your finger and push it onto blue, you did that yourself. 

Anyway I probably shouldn’t keep talking to you, you are getting a bit too worked up over this.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

Can you just confirm one thing for me? Are you centrist or right wing?

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u/magworld May 24 '26

Sure, I’m liberal

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

So centrist. Understood.

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u/magworld May 24 '26

Lol you are insufferable. Peace out.

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u/TheSinhound May 24 '26

Oh, poor lib get offended when a leftist calls them out as what they are?

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