Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kavka's Toxin Puzzle is a thought experiment about the possibility of forming an intention to perform an act which, following from reason, is an action one would not actually perform. It was presented by moral and political philosopher Gregory S. Kavka in "The Toxin Puzzle" (1983), and grew out of his work in deterrence theory and mutual assured destruction.

Kavka's original version of the puzzle is the following:



Herein lies the rub: Can you intend to drink the toxin if you know you don't have to?

I want to hear your thoughts about this. I'll post more later on after there's been some discussion. I'm getting this from an article, but I didn't post it all, but I will after I see what you think.

Remember, there's more to this problem than it seems.

The question is, how wouldn't you? Odds are, you'd actually end up drinking it for the hell of it.

Yes, but the problem with that scenario is that by completing the given task, it would be beneficial. The thing about the toxin puzzle is that the situation given questions man's ability to put themselves in situations where their own well-being is in question; even if you don't have to, you can say you would intend to, but then, knowing you didn't have to, you probably wouldn't. The only way to beat the paradox is to actually drink the toxin. Even though the benefactor tells you you don't have to drink it, in your eyes, you would have to, because you can't intend to do something you know you won't do. But by looking at it as a situation where you must drink the toxin, it becomes a simple choice; drink it and get a million dollars, or pass and go home with nothing.