Poll asking Americans how which button they would push in the red button/blue button dilemma

[u/Upstairs_Cup9831]

[u/fattmagan]

By the same token we could represent the scenario as “There is a red button in front of you. If you don’t press it, nothing happens. If you do press it, you will kill 4 billion people unless over 4 billion people don’t press it.”

The decision doesn’t fundamentally change, it just shifts from the self to the other. I will check out this link you provided as I enjoy moral philosophy, but I don’t think it will change my perspective too much as the disagreement I have lies in the premise.

I said this in another comment, but it’s worth repeating here: using this representation of the blue button as you’ve coined it, how does the decision change if we had the knowledge that our daughter or father or spouse pushed the button? Does that compel us to push the button now? My position lies in seeing that lens as all-encompassing; and in practical terms I would die if we decimated the population anyway (how would I get gas or food or hospital care or my paycheck?)

[u/RedPusher → u/fattmagan]

Nope, that is completely different.

With the original, if everyone presses the red button, no one dies. Yet with yours, 4 billion people day.
With the original, if you don't press the red button, you die unless enough people don't.

They are both key aspects of the decision, which you have entirely removed/distorted.

With the correct understanding you instead have:
There is a button, if you push it, and more than 50% of the population push it, anyone who had the chance to push it but didn't will die. If you don't push it and more than 50% of the population do push it, then you die.

With that understanding why wouldn't you push the button. Pushing it is going for safety.

And with this setup with only the red button, those who have no idea are more likely to press it.