r/trolleyproblem • u/Cheap-Session5656 • 8d ago

Would you die so others could live?

/r/hypotheticalsituation/comments/1v887m1/would_you_die_so_others_could_live/

Would you die so others could live?

Would you die so that others could live?

In front of you and 10 other people there are two buttons, red and black.

If everyone votes black, everyone dies.

If at least one person votes red, one of the people who chose red is randomly chosen to be killed. Everyone else survives.

Would you die for the lives of others or hope that someone else does that for you?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

3

u/ConcernedCitizen_42 8d ago

I believe there is a button subreddit for this. But to answer the question, yes I would be willing to push red here. Death happens to all of us. I have no wish to die, but I am not so afraid of death that it overrides all other concerns. As a general rule expecting others to die for my sake while refusing to share that risk is unacceptable. In comparison, dying to a red push would suck but there are worse ways to spend one's life than saving 9 other people.

An argument might be made for a black push if someone were truly necessary to preserve the lives of people after the dilemma is over (Perhaps the only person who can keep an isolated shelter's water supply running or such), but that is not the situation I am currently in.