since so many people are saying no, let's up the ante. let's say that someone you love has a fatal condition (they will die within the year) that requires treatment, but you can't afford the treatment. now a stranger knocks on your door, and offers you a box. and he tells you that inside the box, there is a button, and if you press it, you will receive one million dollars. however, if you do press it, somebody that you know will die. it could be someone close to you, it could be someone you barely talk to. you don't know the identity of who's going to die, but it's guaranteed not to be you. would you press that button?

**edit**
to clear up some questions:
1.) the treatment won't use up the entire one million dollars, and you'll definitely have a lot of money left over, but w/o it, you won't be able to afford the treatment
2.) only you can press it. if anyone else presses it, nothing happens
3.) you have 24 hrs to press it. if you don't, nothing happens.
4.) there is no way it can be traced back to you. you won't be arrested or anything



((i know there's a novel and movie with this concept already, but i changed some of the parameters around))

isnt this the movie thats coming out with cameron diaz? as sucky as my situation is right now, i would not press that button

Sounds like that new movie that's going to come out ( :
Ummmm that's kinda tough
Because I'm not really close with anybody, not even my parents really
But ... aish, I really don't know : P
I don't really need the money, but my family could use it ^___^
But .... hmmmm, for me ... I can't answer, it's too hard : P

AW HELLLL NO! LOL

theres no telling who that buttons meant for. i wouldnt take the risk of it being one of my family members.
besides, a million dollars isnt even that much money nowadays.

I wouldn't press it. It could me my mother or father, & that's something I just couldn't live with =/

Can I keep that box?
I wouldn't press it but I would go after people I know and be like "Hey a genie wanted me to press a button to have one of you guys dead in exchange of a million dollar! I want that million so bad but I just saved your lives! ... Now you guys owe me 2 million dollars."
And if they think I got high before talking, I'll press that button in front of them for not believing me... and if nothing happens, then ...

I'd pry the box open without pressing the button.

^ There's no money in the box. Just the button.

I'd still pry it open.

On 2nd thought, can I borrow that random guy's finger and make it press the button and one of his friends/family will die and I get to keep the million dollar?

Or can I sell it on ebay for 500 000 dollars so that any emotionless rich man can buy it (he'll make 500 000 dollars profits)?

Money can't buy me love.

Very tough, but I don't think I'll ever manage to press it. Isn't the case very similar to killing someone?

I'd rather live off the same with my people then to have that "guilty pleasure".

nooooooooo.
even though i kind of need money right now (lol) $__$''
it'll mean someone innocent die.

i wouldn't wish that on even my worst enemy.

If I press it, maybe the guy who offered it to me would die.

since i know a lot of people i would press it maybe 10 times.

if it wasn't someone i knew that would die each time i would press it. i'd press it a few hundred times.
it's like a 1/5 chance it's gonna be some random guy in china that's going to die.

Sell it.
Done done and done.

Without thinking of something witty, I wouldn't press it. Plus, if it was on the record you could potentially get arrested for capital murder (killing someone for monetary compensation) which could get you the death penalty in some states. Two lives =/= 1 million dollars. 1 million isn't much these days anyhow.

Errm, I'll keep the box, wait for all the people I love to die then I'll press the button.

Isn't one million dollars too little a sum to kill someone for? That's stupid, and I think on the univeral grounds of morality, this question beckons the straight answer of NO!!!

But maybe if it was at like $10 million, I would have less of a qualm to press it. More money can diminish your conscience, and as much as you want to dispute that, it is the reality for some.

If it wasn't as sketchy and strange like the movie, where they pretty much do it to frame you, and it's a catch where you won't die, but your family probably will, then no. But if there's some way to guarantee that it's not a catch like that, and it's just some random person that I don't know, then yeah, I would.

If it was random and I would have no legal consequences for doing it, in a heartbeat. There would be no way it would be someone you know or probably heard of. If it is, you might as well buy a lotto ticket because the odds are in your favor.

It's not a dilemma at all.There is no way I'm going to push that button even if there is a guarantee that I'll never be arrested for this.If I did,I'll have to live with the fact that I killed someone.What if that someone is the sole breadwinner of a family?Then I wouldn't just be killing 1 person.My conscience and mental health for the rest of my life isn't worth a million dollars.Every single dollar and every single thing I used the money for would remind me that I'm a murderer.I'll shove the box back to that stranger immediately.

nah i'm not gonna press the button

^^took the words straight out of my mouth.

This is an interesting thread, and for the most part I've noticed that people are saying 'no', but I have a question for you guys who are so adamant about not pushing it:

If the people you loved needed that million dollars to stay alive (for whatever outrageous, hypothetical reason), would you still refuse to press that button?

The lives of your loved ones vs the life of a stranger?

you can only keep the box for 24 hrs, and only you can press the button. nothing happens if somebody else presses it.



you don't get the 1 million dollars, but someone you know will still die.



lol, if anybody else other than you presses it, nothing happens. you can try scamming someone by selling it on ebay, lol, but you have 24 hrs to do it.



entirely possible, lol, but i'm sure he has some safeguards in place.



only works the one time you press it.



there's no way that it could be traced back to you.



that's a really good point. i think i'm gonna add it in to make it even more of a dilemma. thanks for the idea ^^

I'd pass the offer, it's called morals.

The concept sounds similar to jdrama Liar Game minus the killing part

What if I push it, but I still don't get the money? It's not like the money's inside or anything.

OOoh wow... such a magical world... alright... that random guy sounds strange to even come up with such a box... what if I punch him in the face? *10 millions falls down* w000t!

But yeah I'll press that button...
*I just lost 50 friends on Facebook for saying that*

hmm that makes the situation a little more difficult lol
idk I would like to say no but then I would have linguring regret about not saving my loved ones life,
but then again..I think the guilt of pressing the button would be a heavy burden upon myself
and I dont think I could live with myself knowing i killed someone

right now, I say that I would never push it
but if I were really in that situation...you never know

If that is the case,then I'll ask that stranger to bring the box to the person who needs it to stay alive and have him/her make the decision.I do not have the right to decide who stays alive and who dies.Besides,the thread starter mentioned that the person who dies will be someone I know,so it is not the life of a total stranger that we're talking about.Besides,what if the very person you tried to save becomes the person that will die after you pressed the button? How would you justify your actions then?

No..at the cost of another life..i would never..what good would that be to save one life..but take another..

XD I agree with this post

The philosophical response all pale in comparison to this

that monney not worth sum1 life life is too precious for me to kill anyone imagine it was you who gonna die... but if u know you go to hell any how i would press it live a fun life then die and going to hell...


ADDED sumthing to the movie

the guy in movie say their will be consequences for pressing that button

iono. YES. mostly.
i would be happy with the money but i don't know how to sleep with myself after that ><

Heck no. o_o;;

I'd feel really guilty because I know the person died because of me since its someone I know too.
Even sadder. Money isn't everything to me anyway unless I really needed it. o_o;;
......I still wouldn't press the button.

I don't know, first thought was yes but after I think about it.. maybe no.
It depends on my situation and how weak my mind is at that time. D:

I wouldn't press that button...
B'cuz someone will die and it's all my fault...
He/she will be haunting me for my whole live! (wth?)
And although i got so much money $_$
i'm sure i won't be happy upon another sadness...

A million bucks? Nah. I am not that heartless. My conscience won't let me sleep, and besides you could earn money. Other people could live without a million dollars why couldn't you?

the box... dun dun duhh
haha, i just saw the preview for it.
& is it just me, or does cameron diaz look really different?
iuno why.. maybe she's just getting old, hm.

hmmmmmmm I wouldn't press it.... I'm one of those people who aren't afraid of death, if it's my time it's my time to go.
Besides why should I kill someone's just to save my selfish ass

Conclusion after reading few posts: It's a hitman dream job to press on buttons and get millions. (And not a lot of people dream to be a hitman).