Imagine you have a big red button in your house

Dex1981 · 2024-05-23T10:48:39-04:00

Philosophy - Imagine you have a big red button in your house And every time you press this button, it... (23 replies).

Poll - Total Votes: 13

I would never press this button

I don't know how I'd react to living with that button for years, but I wouldn't press it at first

I would only press it in an emergency or very dire situation. I'd feel very guilty.

I would press it occasionally when things are difficult. I'd feel a little guilty

I'd quit my job and live off the button, but I'd try not to be excessive about it.

I'd hit that button like a speedbag until I was a multimilionaire and not feel bad at all

Other?

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And every time you press this button, it deposits $100 into your bank account. You may press it as often as you like, there are no consequences to you. The government is aware that you have this button and has declared it to be totally legal and tax exempt.

But every time you press it and get that $100, some random person somewhere in the world loses $100. It might be a rich person who won't even notice it's missing, or it might be a struggling person who really needs it to get by. It might be some poor person in a third world country and that $100 was their life savings. The button only takes money from people's personal assets. Never money from corporations or governments.

You can't get rid of the button either. It's always there, on the wall next to your front door. If you move, it moves with you.

Be real with yourself, be totally honest: How much would you press that button?

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MarkPaul · 26-30, M

Naturally, I would use it in this context...

The planet and its resources have literally been given to us just by virtue of us being here. We didn't earn the earth's bounty; it's just here. It's always within reach, no matter where we go (even to the ISS, the Moon, and Mars) We each take from it, some sparingly and others with reckless abandon. When people in developed nations consume goods that they need, want, or waste because they can with no consequences the results of their consumption effect people the most in less developed parts of the world. It literally feels like there are no consequences. Yet we are collectively guilty even those who claim ...

1. I feel no guilt. I deserve it. It's what God wants.
2. I only take what I need.
3. I only take what I earn.
4. I am supporting the labour of undeveloped countries by consuming the goods they produce (at slave wages).
5. I have been socialized to consume these "things."

I must confess, I take a lot from the planet and have consistently done so since arriving here. I sometimes think about how my consumption of the planet's resources affects others, but it doesn't alter my "hitting the button." and I don't feel guilty about it.

So, in this scenario I have to assume I would do the same. Naturally, there would be rationale... "Oh, I really need the $100 today." "Oh, I really earned the right to hit the button for the $100 during this day, this hour, this minute, etc." My guess is human behaviour would prevent anyone acting differently despite their individual stories and rationales. It's what we do... as humans.