# The hypothetical morals question about the mystery box with the death button **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518 "2012-04-12T00:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/21 "2012-04-13T22:57:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I remember seeing a different version: a guy stumbles into an office and is offered the button by the person behind the desk for a large amount of money. Or he can leave the room. He eventually presses the button whereon the person is revealed to be the Devil, the floor underneath the guy collapses, and the guy goes to Hell, where, of course, the money is useless. The Devil, musing to himself, reveals that behind the door was Heaven. I realize that was probably supposed to be a ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’ moral, but it comes out more like a ‘You’re living in an encounter written by Gary Gygax while drunk’ one. "Here are two completely innocent, harmless actions. One has horrific arbitrary consequences that you have no way to predict, one has a arbitrary glorious reward that is also impossible to predict. You must choose one. To make things interesting, here’s a good reason to accept choice #1. If I’m testing for greed, obviously you shouldn’t take it. If I’m testing for trust and empathy of your fellow man, obviously you should take it. So, read my mind. **Which of the two completely arbitrary choices have I declared “correct,” and which there to fuck you over?** No, you can’t look at the module afterwards to see if I’m cheating." – Just found an original copy of Tomb of Horrors last week. I don’t normally collect game stuff I’ll never use, but this one has bragging rights. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/22 "2012-04-13T23:27:21Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > "Here are two completely innocent, harmless actions. One has horrific arbitrary consequences that you have no way to predict, one has a arbitrary glorious reward that is also impossible to predict. You must choose one. To make things interesting, here’s a good reason to accept choice #1. If I’m testing for greed, obviously you shouldn’t take it. If I’m testing for trust and empathy of your fellow man, obviously you should take it. How exactly is pushing a button in the belief that it will cause somebody to die a “completely innocent, harmless action”? If you’re pushing the button, you’re demonstrating you’re willing to kill somebody for your personal gain. Do that in an environment where people are judged in the afterlife for their mortal actions, and I don’t see damnation as a surprise ending. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/23 "2012-04-13T23:39:56Z")
Oh. **THE** button, as in, ‘the button in the other example that kills people.’ I read it as \*\*A \*\*button, as in, ‘a button that you don’t know what it does that I’m paying you to push, thus creating a scene that is somewhat similar, but removes the moral context.’ That makes sense, then. I’ll just stand here quietly, then. Maybe try to work on the reading comprehension. More heavy handed than the original scenario, (which was not itself subtle) but not Gygaxian. – Kind of Diktonian, though. “Make this stark and unlikely moral choice RIGHT NOW! Choose wrong, and suffer IMMEDIATE JUDGEMENT!!” ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/24 "2012-04-14T01:01:03Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > That makes sense, then. I’ll just stand here quietly, then. Maybe try to work on the reading comprehension. Actually, I thought you were talking about **Quartz** ’s post (#8), in which case your argument would have been completely valid. In that scenario, the recipient of the money had no outstanding reason to believe that he would be harming anybody in accepting it. So either part of the story was left out, or Satan was just being a dick, as he is wont to be. :smack: You WERE talking about that post! I’m the one who needs to switch back to regular coffee. Shuffling off to get a complete neuro workup… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/25 "2012-04-14T06:50:55Z")
I agree that if somebody makes you an offer of “just push this button and I’ll give you a million dollars” there’s no moral consequences to pushing that button. Go ahead and collect your money. But I didn’t think that was ever the scenario under discussion in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/26 "2012-04-14T07:08:16Z")
Imagine\* The Price is Right\* where if you pick the wrong curtain you see Monty Hall being beheaded behind it. Or is it the _right_ curtain? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518/27 "2012-04-14T14:48:48Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I agree that if somebody makes you an offer of “just push this button and I’ll give you a million dollars” there’s no moral consequences to pushing that button. Go ahead and collect your money. But I didn’t think that was ever the scenario under discussion in this thread. You’re right. I just watched the short right now. I didn’t realize that the same stipulation (somebody will die) also applied. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypothetical-morals-question-about-the-mystery-box-with-the-death-button/618518.md?page=1)