Blue Button or Red Button?

[David]

I just found this from a Jaden Williams skit but it's been making the rounds on social media

Everyone on Earth except children and anyone who doesn't understand the outcomes is teleported to a room and given the choice to press a blue button or a red button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button then everyone lives, if less than 50% of people press the blue button then only those who pressed the red button will live. Only those who do the button test are affected

Will you press the blue button or the red button? Why?

[Master Raiden]

If everyone understands the outcomes, then you can simplify them:
Red: No effect 
Blue: Instant death 

So people who want to live should press Red, and people who don't should press Blue.
The only catch is that if, for whatever reason, more than 50% of people want to die, none of them will get what they want.

So it is an easy choice if you want to live, and a slightly more difficult choice if you don't
Personally, I would press the Red button. Chances are, far fewer than 50% of people want to die, so I won't risk pressing the Blue button. And even if a lot of people knowingly chose Blue, who am I to try and deny them what they want, especially if it could cost me what I want?

I saw this shared online and was quite surprised at the results. To me, the Red button seems like the obvious choice, but 45% of votes here were for the Blue button. What am I missing?

[Resarekt]

This is intriguing. To me Red seems like the safe bet as you live no matter what, and so that’s what I would choose! Granted, my wake up brain might not be rationalizing it completely correct so I truly don’t know.

[Mia]

What happens if I press both buttons at the same time?

[Resarekt]

What happens if I press both buttons at the same time?

you blow up

[TheBreeze]

Oh that's great timing I was just going back and forth about it with a friend last night!

Definitely Red button because I would feel like I am consenting to death pressing Blue, there's no survival guarantee choosing that option

[MrGlad]

I press blue. Would like to think that most people would also hit blue and then everyone is safe!

[Northadox]

So basically, I'm just gonna press the red button.

Sorry! HAHAHAHAHAHA

You can get into your death gamble! Not my problem! I'm just going to press the Nothing Ever Happens Button and if you die from your supposed selflessness that's YOUR problem HAHAHAHAHA

"b-but what about the colorblind people or babies or elderly people who accidentally p-" NOT MY PROBLEM WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

[David]

I saw this shared online and was quite surprised at the results. To me, the Red button seems like the obvious choice, but 45% of votes here were for the Blue button. What am I missing?

This comment on Jaden William's video might explain it:



I think the keys to that poll result is in this comment "there will always be people who worry about others" and "is it more likely that at least 50% of the world will choose the same option to garuntee 100% survive or do you rely on 100% choosing the same option."

You don't want anyone to die of course, but no way you're getting 100% to press red and as people point out getting a little bit over 50% of blue is much easier

[Sunlight1232]

If communication was allowed then the answer would be to encourage as many people to press blue as possible.

Otherwise, pressing red is the smart move and pressing blue is more moral since it would save more people. It would kind of suck to live in a world where potentially >50% of the adult population is dead. It would especially suck when you consider that all the people are dying might be the more moral people of the world. But I assume we're supposed to ignore the aftermath and just treat it as a moral dilemma. I'd probably press red to save my own skin.

[SirPepa781]

Blue! I dont want to choose option that kills ppl when everyone can survive.

[Camer the Dragon]

Red is guaranteed survival therefore it's the choice I'd pick
If other people pick blue they should really just pick red instead
If everyone picked red then everyone would live, so just pick red
It feels like the logical option for everyone to do

[Magniloquent]

The choice is very simple for a rationally operating individual who understands the question:

Choose Red to guarantee your own life.
-all other persons who press Red will also survive per the prompt, so there is no rational reason to choose Blue unless you wish to kill yourself or attempt to save others who wish to kill themselves.
Choose Blue to risk your own life at the potential *benefit (*if you could call it that) of saving those who choose Blue out of a failure of rational thinking or desire to kill oneself.
-you must choose this with no guarantee of your own survival or of saving others who choose Blue.

Therefore, the Red button is the only rational option for individuals who are not actively choosing to kill themselves.

[Mia]

Why put our lives into an unnecessary gamble?

[David]

I would also choose red like most of you, lots of people will die but I ain't trusting blue gets the majority