A philosophical question

[Drakim]

Let's say you are standing in front of two doors. You have to walk though one of them. If you walk though the correct door, you will live on, but if you walk though the wrong door, you will die. You wish to live. Surviving this situation is your single objective.

You have absolutely no idea for which door is right and wrong. However, you do know something. One door is green and one is red. You know that walking though the red door will bring you inhuman pain for a second, while walking though the green door will calm you.

Note that you still do not know which door will kill you. You do not know if the red or the green door is the correct or the wrong one. Just that one will also bring you pain for a moment.

So, which door do you choose? You have three options:
The red door
The green door
A random door

Now, before you just write "lol, of course the green door" and post, think about it some. Understand the underlying problem.

After (or if) I've gotten some replies, I'll turn this into a real life situation where it turns more interesting.

[therealsylvos]

It would help to know more about the situation, like who put me there? How does he think? What kind of pain will I feel? what kind of death will I feel?

But going on this information you have to think, what could bring you inhuman pain for only a second? If something sets your pain receptors on fire like that, will last for more than a second regardless of how long it actually lasts for. Thus the only way it could last for a second is if you die after that second.

[Christopherr]

I'd say the red door, because nothing worth having comes without a price.

[LazyPint]

The red door, because you have to suffer to live. Unless that's what you wanted me to say in which case the green door because it's not the red door. Unless you knew that I'd think that in which case...

I don't quite see how philosophical the question is. If you pick the red door and experience inhuman pain then die, what's the lesson? If you pick the green door and live, what does that show?

Sounds more psychological to me.

[Drakim]

At 12/28/07 12:14 PM, LazyPint wrote: The red door, because you have to suffer to live. Unless that's what you wanted me to say in which case the green door because it's not the red door. Unless you knew that I'd think that in which case...

I don't quite see how philosophical the question is. If you pick the red door and experience inhuman pain then die, what's the lesson? If you pick the green door and live, what does that show?

Sounds more psychological to me.

Ah, I think I didn't make one thing clear enough. You do not know which door kills you and which door let's you live.

You only know that the red door gives you pain (not the same as dying).

So, I'm wondering if the fact that there is pain behind one choice makes people less likely to pick it, despite the odds of dying being the same.

Would people think:

"Man, I dunno if I will die and live anyways, it's random, but I can prevent myself from being in pain, so why not choose the green door? The survival odds are the same anyway."

That is what I'm wondering about. Because, in real life situations, I think people will quite often do the opposite of what they will answer here.

[Al6200]

The Green door. There is no way of knowing whether the red door or the green door is right, so therefore they're equal in that respect. So then it comes down to momentary pain. So yes, the green door.

[Earfetish]

50/50 which one will kill you

avoid the pain

green door

easy peasy

[DraGoN-RaGe-9001]

I would go after the random door since life is random and absurd. Life is utterly chaotic and gives you know warning when it all crumbles down so pick the random door that represents the randomness of life.

[poxpower]

At 12/28/07 12:37 PM, Earfetish wrote: 50/50 which one will kill you
avoid the pain
green door
easy peasy

Yeah I pick that one.

Why would you pick the red one?

[Drakim]

At 12/28/07 12:40 PM, poxpower wrote:

At 12/28/07 12:37 PM, Earfetish wrote: 50/50 which one will kill you
avoid the pain
green door
easy peasy

Yeah I pick that one.

Why would you pick the red one?

Well, the two first people did. I'm not quite sure on why though.

[poxpower]

At 12/28/07 12:42 PM, Drakim wrote:

Well, the two first people did. I'm not quite sure on why though.

I guess they think the doors were put there by a God who doesn't give out free candy or something.

[Christopherr]

At 12/28/07 12:25 PM, Drakim wrote: Ah, I think I didn't make one thing clear enough. You do not know which door kills you and which door let's you live.
You only know that the red door gives you pain (not the same as dying).
So, I'm wondering if the fact that there is pain behind one choice makes people less likely to pick it, despite the odds of dying being the same.

It can be assumed that if there is only one second of pain, there can be no more pain afterwards. Of course, one can die from shock due to extreme pain, so that might kill him, making the green door the most logical choice. But, knowing that there is only one logical choice, the green door, why would we even be given this choice in the first place? This can only mean that the green door is not what we see it to be, a peaceful place. So my choice is between a red door that has an aura of certainty, and a green door with something unknown behind it.

The real question here is, "Would you rather take a loss or gamble for something better?"

I would take a loss.

[Bookman60]

Nothing ever worth having comes without a price. Whilst the green door may bring momentary pleasure I believe it would end in ultimate doom. While the red door, which brings suffering for a second, will ultimately bring you life.

[Christopherr]

At 12/28/07 01:07 PM, Bookman60 wrote: Nothing ever worth having comes without a price. Whilst the green door may bring momentary pleasure I believe it would end in ultimate doom. While the red door, which brings suffering for a second, will ultimately bring you life.

I actually used that quote in the 2nd reply.

[poxpower]

At 12/28/07 01:07 PM, Bookman60 wrote: Nothing ever worth having comes without a price.

What about winning the lottery? If you consider paying 2 bucks for a ticket a "price" then I consider walking all the way to the green door a "price".

[Bookman60]

Huh, go figure, didn't even read yours. Still just as true though. I think the whole red door, green door is a lot like our situation here on earth. We can either choose the momentary pleasure and destruction, or the difficult way and receive eternal life.

[MrOctopi]

Griffindoor!

Green Door definetly.

[Bookman60]

At 12/28/07 01:33 PM, poxpower wrote:

At 12/28/07 01:07 PM, Bookman60 wrote: Nothing ever worth having comes without a price.

What about winning the lottery? If you consider paying 2 bucks for a ticket a "price" then I consider walking all the way to the green door a "price".

How many tickets did you buy? There are people out there that have bought a ticket every day for their entire lives and haven't won the jackpot. The odds are horribly against you.

That said the lottery is more the exception than the rule.

[Drakim]

Heh, lots of strange and interesting replies. Thanks. And keep them coming. ^^

[LazyDrunk]

At 12/28/07 02:06 PM, Drakim wrote: Heh, lots of strange and interesting replies. Thanks. And keep them coming. ^^

I'd slam my dick in the green door just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, then demand a refund because it was a given that no pain would be felt.

Seriously though, if you're going to introduce more than simply color by making the red door painful, you might as well divulge how, when and why we arrived in this unlikely scenario.

[SlithVampir]

Red door. I'd like to die a not-pussy.

[poxpower]

At 12/28/07 01:43 PM, Bookman60 wrote: The odds are horribly against you.

So? Someone's gotta win.

That said the lottery is more the exception than the rule.

And? You think a weird place where a guy tells you to walk through a pain door or an orgasm door and have a chance to die in the process is not weird?

It's just that eternal " did he know I'd know? BUT DID HE KNOW I WOULD KNOW HE'D KNOW?".
From the moment you know that someone's not a complete fucking moron, then it becomes random again.

[TonyTostieno]

At 12/28/07 12:40 PM, poxpower wrote: Yeah I pick that one.

Why would you pick the red one?

'Cuz life's a bitch and the green door's probably just a trick, makes sense kind of. 'Course if you go after a random door you don't have to go "Shit I was wrong!" you can just go "Fuck, well, better luck next time.``"

[Leeloo-Minai]

At 12/28/07 02:25 PM, TonyTostieno wrote:

Why would you pick the red one?

'Cuz life's a bitch and the green door's probably just a trick, makes sense kind of.

Yes, yes it does..

'Course if you go after a random door you don't have to go "Shit I was wrong!" you can just go "Fuck, well, better luck next time.``"

"Go" is a great verb.

Go outside today. For me.

[TonyTostieno]

At 12/28/07 12:40 PM, poxpower wrote: Yeah I pick that one.

Why would you pick the red one?

'Cuz life's a bitch and the green door's probably just a trick, makes sense kind of. 'Course if you go after a random door you don't have to go "Shit I was wrong!" you can just go "Fuck, well, better luck next time.``"

[Earfetish]

Most people who are answering 'red door' seem to be reading a lot into it

[poxpower]

At 12/28/07 02:25 PM, TonyTostieno wrote:

'Cuz life's a bitch and the green door's probably just a trick, makes sense kind of. 'Course if you go after a random door you don't have to go "Shit I was wrong!" you can just go "Fuck, well, better luck next time.``"

Maybe he thought of that and now not only are you going to die because you're an idiot, you're going to die through horrible pain and suffering.

[Earfetish]

It's worth saying, as well, I'd rather die feeling relaxed and calm than in agonising pain.

And agonising pain could well be the moment of death.

Although I think asking any questions like this are reading too much into it. All we know is, it's 50/50 which door kills you, and one of them makes you feel pleasant. Any inferring as to what door is fatal is completely fallacious.

[marcher138]

Wow, deep...

There are three answers I would give to this question, depending on the situation:

1. If someone put me there who isn't very smart: The red door, because he would put life behind the door I would least likely pick, and obviously if there was no life or death situation I would choose calm.

2. If someone put me there who is very smart: The green door, because he would know of the above thought process. Knowing I think this way, he would again put life behind my least likely choice.

3. If no one put me there or if I don't know who put me there: The green door, because it's a 50/50 shot, so the odds are excatly the same no matter what door. The green door is more favorable, so it is the obvious choice.

P.S. Drakim, you rock. I always love your posts, keep 'em comin'.

[TonyTostieno]

At 12/28/07 02:31 PM, poxpower wrote: Maybe he thought of that and now not only are you going to die because you're an idiot, you're going to die through horrible pain and suffering.

True but maybe he thought the other way around and you're going to die completely calm. Either way you end up dead after a second or two.