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Articles

You Won’t Know the Difference So You Can’t Make the Choice

says Robin Beck

Which pill, red or blue? I propose that it does not matter which pill one takes and that there are no rational grounds for making the decision. That is, I do not see any way to argue that one ought to choose either red or blue. The basis for this conclusion is that, if we really examine the substance of the question, there is no meaningful way to understand the difference between the two possible choices. This answer is, of course, somewhat counterintuitive, but I think that if we take the time to look closely at the consequences of taking each pill, then it will become clear that there is no reasonable way to choose.

The first section of this essay will compare the two choices and explain why I think that there are no crucial differences between them.