# What percentage chance of death would you say is neededfor a suicide mission? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-chance-of-death-would-you-say-is-neededfor-a-suicide-mission/826513 "2018-12-22T00:08:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-chance-of-death-would-you-say-is-neededfor-a-suicide-mission/826513/21 "2018-12-24T06:13:59Z")
I think of “suicide mission” as someone intending not to return alive. Something like the 9/11 hijackers, or suicide bombers, or Kamikaze pilots. In other words, 100% fatal on purpose. Someone who runs into a burning building is not on a suicide mission, no matter how dangerous it is. ---
**Author:** ![Blues\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@Blues\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blues_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-chance-of-death-would-you-say-is-neededfor-a-suicide-mission/826513/22 "2018-12-25T11:14:33Z")
> [@Calavera](#): > > Asuume there’s a really important objective that needs to be completed. (rescuing 100s of children from a plane wreck, destroying an enemy leadership cell, getting a Big Mac and Coke, it doesn’t matter what it is, it just matters it’s important to the person in this hypothetical.) > > Alex can possibly complete the mission, if s/he doesn’t actually attempt it then there is no actual risk to him/her but the children will die/the enemy will probably win/the Big Mac will remain ungot. If s/he does do it, there is a significant risk of death. How high would it have to be before you would charactarise it as a “suicide mission”? Certainty of death Small chance of success What are we waiting for? Gimli the Dwarf [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-chance-of-death-would-you-say-is-neededfor-a-suicide-mission/826513.md?page=1)