50/50

[sketchasketch]

Scenario: A coin is tossed, if the coin lands on heads, you become immortal instantly, if the coin lands on tails, you die after looking at the coin. You can choose to look at the coin, or walk away after tossing it, but if the coin landed on heads, you walk away immortal, regardless of whether or not you looked at the coin. What do you do? Alternate question: What would you want the coin toss result to be?

[Quantiq]

I would obviously look at the coin because I would die instantly and never know, I wouldn't exist period. People who don't look at the coin obviously think there is some kind of conscious life after death. And if I got heads, cool I'm immortal, what else is new? I would want the coin toss result to be heads though. Then I would try to get shot and check out the reaction of the other guys face. Fun stuff.

[Alric]

Wait, am I reading that right? If you walk away and its heads your immortal, and if its tails then nothing happens? Why would you ever look at and risk death for nothing?

[Oneironaut Zero]

I would walk away without looking. If I walk away mortal, nothing has changed. If I walk away immortal, I will find out eventually. If I look at the coin and die instantly, well, that would just be a complete waste, now wouldn't it? And I would want it to be heads, obviously.

[Photolysis]

I think your scenario would be more clear to others if you were offered the chance to toss the coin or walk away, rather than having the option to walk away after tossing, Before I could answer this question, could you define what you mean by "immortality?" Indefinite lifespan? An inability to die at all? Could I only die if/when I wanted to die?

[sketchasketch]

Wait, am I reading that right? If you walk away and its heads your immortal, and if its tails then nothing happens? Why would you ever look at and risk death for nothing? yeah, it's a huge risk, but at the same time, would you really WANT the curse of immortality? All your friends would die in front of you, and with no way to kill yourself, you would have no alternative but to live forever, on past mankind and the planets, eventually wandering the universe, lost and forgotten. but hey. it's cool I guess. I think your scenario would be more clear to others if you were offered the chance to toss the coin or walk away, rather than having the option to walk away after tossing, Before I could answer this question, could you define what you mean by "immortality?" Indefinite lifespan? An inability to die at all? Could I only die if/when I wanted to die? please see my response above this one

[Solarflare]

I would never ever want to live forever. I would simply not toss the coin

[Alyzarin]

Fuck immortality! I would walk away without looking, and severely hope that it landed on tails. I would obviously look at the coin because I would die instantly and never know, I wouldn't exist period. People who don't look at the coin obviously think there is some kind of conscious life after death. And if I got heads, cool I'm immortal, what else is new? I would want the coin toss result to be heads though. Then I would try to get shot and check out the reaction of the other guys face. Fun stuff. Uh, or they just wanna keep living for a while, especially considering that if it lands on heads you'll get immortality no matter what. ._.;; I don't think there is conscious life after death, at least not for this person I am right now, but that doesn't mean something's not happening. We're all just part of this big mysterious system running by itself in infinite limbo, we're not separate from anything or anyone else around us. Personally, I think of death as an infinitely long period of a zero passage of time, and that just sounds way too interesting to be left wondering about for the rest of eternity, and with everything that's happened in the universe thus far who knows what else could spring up later? It's not like we had conscious life before this life either, but here we are.

[Photolysis]

please see my response above this one In that case, I'd walk away. Dying on the spot or being cursed with immortality is a lose-lose situation. As for the alternative question, I'd prefer it to land on tails. Death would be preferable to never being able to die. Now if on the other hand instead of immortality you offered something like eternal youth, that's when the question becomes much harder to answer. I probably would still walk away because I consider that there's a reasonable chance of me being around to see this anyway (or at least being able to slow down ageing enough for me to eventually see eternal youth become an option). If I further stipulate that eternal youth is not going to happen regardless, then from a utilitarian viewpoint it would seem to make sense to gamble. I'd have a 50% chance of losing ~50 years of life, but I'd have a 50% chance of likely gaining a few hundred years going by current accident statistics and causes of death.

[Oneironaut Zero]

yeah, it's a huge risk, but at the same time, would you really WANT the curse of immortality? All your friends would die in front of you, and with no way to kill yourself, you would have no alternative but to live forever, on past mankind and the planets, eventually wandering the universe, lost and forgotten. but hey. it's cool I guess. Ah, that's what I was looking for. If you meant immortal in the sense that I would have unnaturally long life, then yes, I would choose immortality. If it meant that I was invulnerable, which is actually different from immortal, then I would either choose not to flip the coin (if that is an option), or if I had to choose one, I would choose to die instantly. As has been stated, invunerability and the inability to die - even if one wanted to - would suck very badly.

[Alric]

Of course I would want to be immortal. The only people who don't want to be immortal are people who fear death but find acceptance knowing eventually everyone dies. Immortally would mess up that view and so they reject the very idea of it.

[Oneironaut Zero]

The only people who don't want to be immortal are people who fear death but find acceptance knowing eventually everyone dies. I don't believe that to be a fact. I could just as easily say that the only people who would want to be immortal are people who fear death in the first place, and would rather watch everything around them whither and die, than to face the same fate. In many cases it may be true, but trying to state it as if it's a universal constant would be wrong.

[tommo]

Maybe we just wouldn't want to be floating through the universe after Earth gets destroyed and space is nothing but particles of dust. Knowing that this is all you're gonna experience, forever.

[Supernova]

Flip it, walk away without looking, and forget it ever happened. Then I am able to live my life as I would have, but at the time I would otherwise die I'll either die, or find out that I'm immortal. Best of both worlds basically.

[sketchasketch]

In that case, I'd walk away. Dying on the spot or being cursed with immortality is a lose-lose situation. As for the alternative question, I'd prefer it to land on tails. Death would be preferable to never being able to die. Now if on the other hand instead of immortality you offered something like eternal youth, that's when the question becomes much harder to answer. I probably would still walk away because I consider that there's a reasonable chance of me being around to see this anyway (or at least being able to slow down ageing enough for me to eventually see eternal youth become an option). If I further stipulate that eternal youth is not going to happen regardless, then from a utilitarian viewpoint it would seem to make sense to gamble. I'd have a 50% chance of losing ~50 years of life, but I'd have a 50% chance of likely gaining a few hundred years going by current accident statistics and causes of death. Once this thread peaks and dies, I might post a variant of this scenario, one that my friends tell me is much more difficult to answer.

[Alric]

I don't believe that to be a fact. I could just as easily say that the only people who would want to be immortal are people who fear death in the first place, and would rather watch everything around them whither and die, than to face the same fate. In many cases it may be true, but trying to state it as if it's a universal constant would be wrong. It is probably true in most cases too. Though accepting immortality is probably a more rational choice than accepting death. You could probably say pretty much everyone fears death, but most of us find ways to deal with and accept it in our normal lives.

[sketchasketch]

It is probably true in most cases too. Though accepting immortality is probably a more rational choice than accepting death. You could probably say pretty much everyone fears death, but most of us find ways to deal with and accept it in our normal lives. I don't know, I mean it's pretty hard to truly think rationally about either one. Personally, I would lean towards immortality. I'm not afraid of death though, I've put my actual life in the hands of a coin toss before, and I came through just fine. If I could be immortal, I would meditate forever and fly through the cosmos in a very zen fashion.

[ThePreserver]

Curious question... while I wouldn't want to flip the coin in the first place; I'll say I'll just walk away. It would make no difference to me and I could continue life.