Thought-experiment: Red Pill vs. Blue Pill

1 2018-09-25 by TruthseekerQ

Imagine you are in the shoes of Neo from 'The Matrix' when he is offered the choice between The Red Pill vs. The Blue Pill.

Scenario 1:

If you pick The Red Pill you will awaken to the Truth of the world regardless of any preconceived convictions.When you make your choice, you have no idea of what the truth is that you are waking up to. It could be something like The Matrix, but it could be something else entirely. It could be a frightening 'negative' reality, or it could be a freeing 'positive' reality, or it could be something that transcends the notions of positive and negative. You have no way of knowing before you make your choice. All you know is that it is the Truth.

If you pick The Blue Pill you will awaken the next day knowing nothing of the choice that you have just made, and continue your current existence. You will never feel the burden of questioning your reality and it will become easier for you to achieve genuine happiness and live the rest of your life in content.

Scenario 2:

Same as Scenario 1, but if you pick The Blue Pill you will awaken the next day with a winning lottery ticket for 1 Billion $. No strings attached and you are free to do whatever you want with the money for the rest of your life.

-What would you pick in each scenario?

27 comments

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Submission Statement: I think this thought-experiment may provide some interesting insight into peoples thought process, feel free to provide a reasoning for your answer. And please be Honest.

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

I need a little more to go off of than “the truth of the world.” Is this a material truth or a psycho-spiritual truth? Is this all encompassing truth or just the beginning of something to get the ball rolling? What will this truth ultimately enable me to do? “The truth of the world” is just way too broad to make a value judgement against something as concrete as a billion dollars.

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

I am not trying to argue what the Truth is, just that given the situation of knowing the reality you live in is in some way an illusion or not based in truth. Just like the situation Neo is presented with in the movie.

Would you then decide to awaken to the objective Truth, when you have no idea of what that Truth might entail?

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

Still though, in what capacity is the world supposed to be an illusion in this scenario? Metaphysical? Geopolitical? Psychological? Historical?

There’s some truths that are more valuable than any amount of money, while there’s some that I really can’t do anything with. Knowing that human history is largely fabricated won’t do me much good compared to a billion dollars, whereas understanding fully the human condition and what causes human suffering is vastly more valuable that money.

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Well the idea is that whatever the Truth may be, it is inherently uncertain. It may be whatever you can think of, or something else entirely. It could be something metaphysical or spiritual, or the complete truth of human history which may have been rewritten. Whatever you can conceive of.

But when you make your choice, you don't have any way of Knowing what the Truth may be, so you have to choose between an uncertain Truth, vs. Certain illusionary outcome.

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

I’d rather take a billion dollars and take my chances finding the relevant portion of the truth on my own.

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Edited my last post to clarify a bit.

-What about the first scenario?

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

Ok, so from what I gather from your clarification, it’s gonna be something roughly as paradigm shifting as Neo’s realization in the Matrix. It’ll change how you view life and the totality of your life’s experience up until the point of taking the pill.

Idk, that’s a lot to pass up. I still have to wonder though, if there’s no guarantee that it’ll enable me to find inner peace better than a billion dollars, then why walk away form taking the billion? With a billion I know exactly what I get and the extent it enables me to live my life stress free and walk my own path towards finding truth and happiness. With this truth bomb, it could end up jumpstarting a level of understanding otherwise not attainable in my life time, or it could just be largely irrelevant to what I consider meaningful in my life, even despite the fact that it’ll probably rock some fundamental assumptions I’ve had for my entire life.

For me personally, I’m driven to make money so I have freedom. Not because I want an extravagant lifestyle. That’s how I live my life, so it’s no wonder I’d have a hard time turning down total economic freedom. I view it as a necessary condition to reaching the most valuable truth.

For the other option, it just sounds pretty underwhelming compared to the mystery truth, so I’d probably take the red pill.

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Very interesting and yes the idea is that the Truth will fundamentally change your perception and view of reality, it could be that you are a slave on prison planet earth, it could be a truth about heaven and hell, or that reality is a simulation from a higher dimension, or that you perhaps are a god having a dream of living a human life. Whatever you can conceive of and then more possibilities.

I find it interesting how a lot of people tend to go for the uncertain Red Pill when you know that reality is an illusion, and The Blue Pill is just continuing life, but when given certain wealth within the illusion, then it becomes a much harder choice to make.

Of course in reality the distinction might not be that easy to make, but given the scenario of having to pick one or the other, we seem susceptible to being paid off with material wealth, even if we know that it is just an illusion.

1 shiftedthoughts 2018-09-25

Saddest part? Money bring anything but happiness. Not being very rich makes you think money are happiness, and that, could be one of the truths in first scenario.

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

Money enables you to live your life however you want. Lack of money is what forces people to take unfulfilling desk jobs and put off pursuing non-material aspirations.

1 shiftedthoughts 2018-09-25

Living life exactly how you dreamt it, is not gonna be it at all happiness forever, never to worry or be sad again, I can ensure you, otherwise what’s the point of all those money if not that? Money is the root of all evil, is true.

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

You’re arguing a straw man, but okay.

1 shiftedthoughts 2018-09-25

I dont argue, I am telling you how it is, but ok, “you take the money”.

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

I will. Every time.

1 Adamarama 2018-09-25

I’d pick the billion dollars and then buy the truth and use the change to go on vacation!

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Keep in mind if you pick The Blue Pill, you will not remember ever questioning the reality you live in, and never conceive of finding that Truth ;)

1 bluemagic124 2018-09-25

Still though, in what capacity is the world supposed to be an illusion in this scenario? Metaphysical? Geopolitical? Psychological? Historical?

1 ethermodalities 2018-09-25

in both scenarios i would pick the red pill. because i do want to know. No amount of money to me could satiate that want.

i see what you are getting at though, interesting ;) the people who pick red pill vs. blue pill if money is on the line vs. if it is not

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

I feel the same way. I always wondered what the point of that scene in the movie was, because i thought it was an obvious choice that everyone would make.

But after presenting this to some friends i was really surprised at the responses i got. A few were blue in scenario 1, but almost all the rest went blue in scenario 2.

Although i do think this subreddit is probably gonna be way more biased to the Red Pill than the general populous.

1 ethermodalities 2018-09-25

do we all somehow know the truth, and is it horrifying? is it programming? i don't understand people who would take the blue pill. your question cuts to the root of it all

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

Well i don't want to get into my own opinions based on my own truth-seeking experience here, but i do think the answer to this question is very determining of how people make a lot of unconscious decisions during their life.

What makes people take the Blue Pill? Is the Red Pill inherently better than the Blue Pill? What would happen if all of humanity took the Red Pill? Are there different 'levels' of Red Pills? Those are questions that may lead to interesting answers for another discussion :)

1 PaulRedekerPZ 2018-09-25

Easy. I’ll take the money. Reality is what your mind interprets the “world” is anyway. Might as well enjoy it.

teamcypher

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25

And scenario 1? :)

1 i-like-glitter-a-lot 2018-09-25

What if the person offering you the red pill is full of shit?

1 ehsharrell100 2018-09-25

Ive always thought people do know the truth and the truth is simply eternity or infinite. I don’t think it’s something that can even be put into words. I think we are all genuinely terrified by it and most do pick the blue pill (religion, drugs, workaholic, etc (anything to hide from the truth))

1 KnocDown 2018-09-25

Everyone already took the blue pill. Remember the creator examined that the human mind rejected utopia. We are not programmed for infinite happiness and joy.

That's what you should take away from that movie. If you give man or society everything they could ever want and remove all their problems they will eventually reject reality.

What does that say about human nature

1 TruthseekerQ 2018-09-25