Would you press the read button if humankind ended after pressing it?

[noname223]

Would you press the read button if humankind disappeared within a second. They would be transformed into nothingness.

I think this quesion was asked to an antinatalist. The guy denied to press the button in this thought argument. He wanted to reiterate that he is no promortalist. (pro-death).

It is a huge difference whether to be against procreation or pro death. Especially when the people already live. It is a long time ago but I think the person argumented it would be immoral to kill humandkind due to the fact most of them want to live. He added he thinks there is more negative than positive in life this is why he is antinatalist. Even if he thinks other people have a bias towards life. What if I am wrong with my considerations? I should not have the power to decide about the end of lives of other human beings.

It is really several years ago I watched it on youtube. So maybe I have made mistakes.

For me it would be a question to ruminate about. Though I am quite sure I would not press the button. I don't want to kill other humans. Due to a similar line of argumenation.

Some arguments in favor for pressing the button would be: the daily industrial slaughtering of animals would have an end. On the other hand pressing the button would kill many animals who are dependent on humans. Though I think the industrial slaughtering has a bigger scale.

My main reasons for not pressing it would be. My friends/family don't want to die so I would make a horrible crime against them. Moreover I would be the biggest massmurderer in history in this thought experiment if I pressed the button. Even though nobody (at least no human) could record history anyway.

What would you do?

 

[Challu]

Never. I have no authority to do that.

 

[niiina]

I wouldn't, I want to die, I don't want other people to die, I have no right to take their lives just because I want to end mine. As I have the right to die, people have the right to live. I'd throw that bottom into the sea.

 

[jodes2]

If they just disappeared, they wouldn't know what they were missing. And they'd never suffer again. Even if people want to live, I don't see life as that valuable. But hey, I get the feeling I'd be hated so I guess for that reason I wouldn't do it.

Is promortalism really that different to antinatalism? The end result is the same. No humans. I'm both. Unfortunately, as long as humans are around, humans will suffer. I think suffering has a larger negative worth than the positive worth of happiness, so I still think it would be better to press the button. Then everyone can be equal, not existing, in the sweet release of the void.

I'd be very tempted to press the button, on the proviso that it takes all dependent animals with them. Don't hate me! It's for the greater good!!

 

[Shadowlord900]

Since you said all of humankind would be transformed into nothingness (which I assume means no afterlife), I would not press the button despite how badly I want an easy death.

...Otherwise if we did get an afterlife, I'd slam that button hard. Don't care how selfish that sounds, screw everyone else. Humanity and this existence as a whole is shit. And along with getting an easy death, I'd also have the satisfaction of wiping out the entire human race. Even if it made me mankind's enemy and everyone else tried imprisoning me in my own personal Hell, I'd still take the chance with the small hope I can escape the rest of humanity.

 

[Rounded Apathy]

Inevitable shitstorm in this thread in T minus...

 

[FuneralCry]

I would instantly as I want to return to nothingness so badly. I feel trapped in this world as suicide is difficult for me personally and I want to peacefully remove myself from the prison that is existence. There is nothing more ideal than peacefully ceasing to exist. The truth is that life shouldn't have ever been a thing in the first place. It's tragic how life evolved and how so much suffering exists as a consequence of life continually being brought here. Nothingness is the ideal state, as if we no longer exist it removes the capacity to suffer and if we never existed in the first place we would have no problems. Life is such an useless concept, it serves no purpose.

Consciousness is a curse and the fact that so much pain continues to exist is beyond horrific. There is no purpose and no benefit to suffering and this is simply inevitable in life. Creating life is just creating unnecessary harm that will inevitably be experienced and inflicted onto other beings. There are no amount of words to describe how much I dislike life.

 

[actual_fox]

Well knowing that I would end all wars, famines, plagues and all tyranny on this planet forever I think It would not be totally wrong to press this button.
If I would press It it would be because of this reasons above. If all are dead then there is nobody to mourn for anybody. It is like nothing ever happened. This is sad but after looking at history I see that we are trapped in wars and all that things above.

Inner psychopath that plays god wakes up in my because faced with totality of human kind I could not care less or more about my family then I care about future humans and total human population- which majority lives in the third world (It does not mean that it is mercy to kill poor- but It means we might not have a clear view what life is like for majority). I know I would cancel all the "great things" we could create but I doubt they are worth It or even realistic.

I could probably/maybe stop ww3 from happening If I did push It now. Trust me-being dead in second beats slowly starving during nuclear winter or having skin falling of from your body because you were too far to get vaporized. It would also stop all mass slaughtering of animals.

 

[Domimi]

If it was designed to just make humans disappear, I would not press it. However, if it was designed to end all life - sentinent or nonsentient -, matter and every possibility of them emerging again in all the universe or multiverse or whatever, I would press it and press it hard. Idk what makes these hypocrite antinatalists and vegans think that humanity is the only problem and pedestalize nature when it's nature and evolution that created humans in the first place. If humans simply go extinct and no additional measures are taken to deal with nature, then there's nothing preventing evolution of creating another self-conscious and human-like species again. We humans are the only species in this planet that can become aware that this sick joke of a game called life is unnecessary and revolt against it.

Also, there's unfathomable suffering occurring in nature in this moment that has nothing to do with humans at all (and surprise... they probably outweight human suffering): predators eating their prey and their cubs alive, competition for resources, deaths caused by terrible illness/hunger, etc. If you hate wars, diseases, rape, robbery, bullying and torture you have to hate nature too, these things are not human creations exclusive to society or the modern world.

I don't agree with the consent argument. Not wanting to die doesn't make death - if we define it by the total abscence of consciousness - itself worse. If anything, it makes life worse, because your death is inevitable and by clinging to life you're just suffering more and for no reason. People appear to forget that once you are dead, there's nothing making you want to live as "you" don't exist anymore.

 

[lofticries]

Honestly my answer depends on how I'm feeling emotionally given the current day. Either way guilt is felt with both answers.

 

[DeIetedUser4739]

Yes

 

[rozeske]

Absolutely not!

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I would see if I could leverage the amount of power I wield with this button to sate my selfish desires. As long as I get what I want I doubt I'd ever need to press the button.

 

[eatantz]

I'm so pressing it!! I think humans are one of the worst animals to ever exist(besides dolphins) I would press it as long as everyone disappears painlessly into nothing

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Hell yes I'm pressing that button. Humanity disgusts me and they're better off being dead. Humanity has caused and will continue to cause so much harm overall

 

[Pluto]

 

[lamargue]

no. humanity can be cruel but also produce things of incredible wonder. it would undermine the efforts of those who committed their lives to producing things to be remembered for time immemorial. to stifle humanity's interest in furthering our collective knowledge is to commit a very selfish act, i think.

 

[DefinitelyReady]

I'm an agnostic atheist but I don't believe in play god with people's lives. It's their right to have existence whether they asked for it or not. Right to be born; right to die.

Whatever the reason this world came into existence, I think it best to let it take its course. Otherwise I'm just another egotistical, narcissistic psychopath. Like I said, I don't want to play god Even though I agree with some and think there really is no point is this world or its existence, and I think there's been more suffering than not, NOT in a FC sort of way though.

Why is the button called "read'? I'm missing something...?
I think this is a very peculiar question too. What made you ask?

 

[murmur]

I would, no one could be upset about dieing, nobody could be upset of anothers passing, except me.

I do care about human life, even those that give humanity a bad rep, i always wonder what was the source of their issues, why did these people end up like this, the blame leads back like a unending path of fallen dominos. Earth was not always habitable for humans, humans have only been around for a small pocket of time in earth's history, it was practically a miracle that earth happened to have created a perfect environment for humans to thrive in, and we did for thousands of years live in harmony with nature. Well one thing led to the next, humanity partakes in this way of life now, that requires industrial scale exploitation of all life on earth, the degradation and waste is inconceivable, and then thinking "the next generation will deal with it", the trade off for these grand scale ills is this ambivalent collapse of some kind. If you think it's bad now, the world of "the next generation" will truly be hell on earth.

I don't see humans as a superior life form, and extinction is inevitable, it's our fate like with so many other creatures that once ruled this earth, I don't see a problem ending humanity preemptively, in fact i think its already doing just that, but very slowy and painfully.

 

[astonishedturnip]

Without elaborating, yes.

 

[HarryCobean]

I see no good future for humanity now. Yes, press the button.