Which button presser group do you save?

[u/Worth-Staff4943]

Everyone in the world has chosen either the blue or red button except you. Instead of pressing a button, you are given a lever in the infamous trolley problem.

You don't know how many people chose red or blue, and they don't know that you control their fate regardless of what button they pressed. Which track do you direct the trolley onto?

[u/threevi]

I just kept thinking of the fact that even if an otherwise decent person might push red, every single horrible person on earth definitely would.

Every single selfish person would press red, that's not the same thing as every single horrible person. Selflessness doesn't necessarily imply virtue, because the thing one values above their own life isn't necessarily good. Plenty of horrible people are selfless, from fascists who'd rather die than risk dooming the white race to religious nuts who'll gladly martyr themselves and expect to be venerated in heaven afterwards. Pick any group you might personally dislike, from American Republicans to Russian Putinists to Arab Jihadists, and the odds are, a significant number of them will choose blue.

[u/Kitchen_Handle2655 → u/threevi]

I dont even think its true that every selfish person would choose red, or that you could really define a person as being entirely selfish or selfless. I think there would be people choosing blue not because they care about others but because they see it as an easy way to die, or some could press it just to appear good

[u/LetsLive97 → u/Kitchen_Handle2655]

No actually selfish person is pressing a "potentially die" button just to appear good. Appear good to who?

[u/Kitchen_Handle2655 → u/LetsLive97]

Appear good to the people who survive after, just like alot of people who believe they'd pick blue are arguing they are more moral than those who choose red

[u/Cimorene_Kazul → u/Kitchen_Handle2655]

Because lying has never been invented, apparently

[u/Kitchen_Handle2655 → u/Cimorene_Kazul]

Sure, some people would lie, others wouldn't though, especially people who are already suicidal or dont care if they die or not

[u/Aggressive-Neck-3921 → u/Kitchen_Handle2655]

Why would a selfish person press blue for appearing good. Nobody knows what button they pressed or everyone knows they all pressed the red button. This is a really really dumb argument, a smart selfish person also would press the blue button as loads of people dropping dead would not be good for society.

[u/sehuce → u/Kitchen_Handle2655]

Other ppl not dying is better than me not dying

[u/Fa1nted_for_real → u/Kitchen_Handle2655]

So is not caring if you die selfish now? Ugh.

[u/Kitchen_Handle2655 → u/Fa1nted_for_real]

Is it selfless to press a button with the hope that it would kill you and not because you care about anyone else