Poll: Would You Push The Button? (Moral Dilemma)
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As someone whose immediate family is full of bad people, including a controlling and philandering father with rage issues, a histrionic homophobic fundamentalist racist mother, and an amoral sociopath for a brother, I probably couldn't mash that button fast enough. What good they do seems to be outweighed by the ills they've caused. I'm probably not any good either, but even stepping back to look at myself from an outside perspective, I can't see my bad side being as bad as my mother's declaration that African Americans shouldn't be offended by racial slurs. It doesn't help that my parents' friends are just as bad, and I suspect my brother has no friends, really. Given his apathy towards others, that's not exactly surprising...
I'd do it, not for any profit, but because I can't shake the feeling my family is causing more social harm than good.
I'd do it, not for any profit, but because I can't shake the feeling my family is causing more social harm than good.
Well, no, because the key feature of a moral dilemma is the dilemma. This is a moral test, not a moral dilemma. A test is not the same as a dilemma.RJ 17 said:
A dilemma is not simply choosing one of two options, even if those options are hard to choose between. A dilemma is about being forced to make a difficult judgement call. A moral dilemma then is when that judgement is moral in nature. You judge the morality of the situation, not at what point you would be willing to abandon morality for personal gain.
In this situation there is no moral judgement to be made, or at least not a difficult one. The morality of the situation is obvious. And for that reason this is a moral test, not a moral dilemma.
I'll press it, I'll press it nine times. actually, probably not. like most of the people on this forum, I'd probably only do it if I could target one specific person to die. I'm not going to pretend there aren't people in my family I'd happily kill, but the risk is too great
Nope. I love my large, extended family, and generally speaking, I'm fairly content with my financial situation. I mean, if I really wanted something for which I needed money, I guess I'd have to get a better job and put in more hours, but I can't think of something like that that I'd place over the life of someone else.
I'd need some assurances. Will there be any consequences to me beyond the knowledge that I just killed someone? Can I choose someone specific instead of doing it randomly? Will my influx of wealth be properly laundered and explained with something other than "I killed a guy with a button?"
First off, my answer would be no. The only thing that could make me say yes is that I would have to use that money to help other people but even then, even though its for the greater good I couldn't. Second, I find it cute all the people who said yes. Sure, your dad might have been a dick, sure you might think of yourself as a horrible person, but I doubt any of the people here would be able to succumb to murder, even for a million dollars. But still, its cute 
I honestly don't know. Is having one extra family member worth that much financial hardship? A million dollars can make quite a difference in the long term if invested effectively. Imagine not having to work day in, day out, just to stay alive, only to die eventually anyway. After all, our life is the only life we get, and we might as well do whatever we can to enjoy it as much as possible. How often is one presented with such an opportunity?
On the other hand, on contemplating death, it seems cruel to wish that upon someone else. I would not classify it as murder because it's indirect, but it's still malicious to a certain extent and it's willingly allowing someone to die. Cessation of consciousness is not something I would want anyone to go through, and certainly not because of a decision I made. It would feel as though the money I "earned" would be blood money and, having never known someone who has died, I have no idea how I could deal with that.
So I don't know. There are arguments on both sides, and pretending otherwise is dishonest.
I would ask where this guy got his assets, to me that seems more interesting.
On the other hand, on contemplating death, it seems cruel to wish that upon someone else. I would not classify it as murder because it's indirect, but it's still malicious to a certain extent and it's willingly allowing someone to die. Cessation of consciousness is not something I would want anyone to go through, and certainly not because of a decision I made. It would feel as though the money I "earned" would be blood money and, having never known someone who has died, I have no idea how I could deal with that.
So I don't know. There are arguments on both sides, and pretending otherwise is dishonest.
I would ask where this guy got his assets, to me that seems more interesting.
As awful as some of my family members are, nothing they have done is truly deserving of death. The good things they have done outweigh the bad stuff. As such, I wouldn't push the button.
No. But for a rather different reason though.
I would never believe that button could even do either one of the two, so since that would be my train of thought, I would completely ignore the guy and his button. If for some reason this was somehow common technology in this world, with guys on every corner having a button to casually give you money for killing off a family member, then I seriously don't know what I would do, simply because in that world there would be a good possibility that my values would be entirely different.
I would never believe that button could even do either one of the two, so since that would be my train of thought, I would completely ignore the guy and his button. If for some reason this was somehow common technology in this world, with guys on every corner having a button to casually give you money for killing off a family member, then I seriously don't know what I would do, simply because in that world there would be a good possibility that my values would be entirely different.
Can I press it twice to get 2 million and inheritance?
For serious though probably not, but maybe I'd go back there when they were getting old.
For serious though probably not, but maybe I'd go back there when they were getting old.
Yes, I'd push it. I'd push it multiple times. My mother was emotionally abusive, my father was unmedicated bipolar and also physically abusive, my sister was a spoiled little *****, and my brother was the type of person who thought physical threats were the way to make friends. I hate them all, and I would gladly push the button to get rid of them. Hell, I'll do it for free if it means I won't be incarcerated.
this, plus i am curious if you mean blood relation or legal relationDugMachine said:
(a.k.a. my father by blood is a scumbag and he'd be making up for what a waste of space he is by giving me money, my actual family however? not even 10000000000000000000000000000000 gajillion dollars would get me to press that button)