Red button or blue button? What a viral question tells us about game theory and the state of the world

By Steven Conway, Senior Lecturer - Games and Interactivity, Swinburne University of Technology

Everyone on earth takes a private vote by pressing a red or blue button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people who pressed the red button survive. Which button would you press? BE HONEST.

This question is the latest thought experiment to set off waves of controversy on social media, following classic examples such as the trolley problem and the prisoner’s…

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