Who is to be believed? A psychological conundrum

Benj96 May 20, 2020 at 13:26 1650 views 5 comments

A person is trapped in a facility desperate to escape. Her captures have given her a choice. They present to her two people. Total strangers. They say "Now this may seem to you unorthodox but one of these two people is a madman, the other a sane, moral and trustworthy citizen." If you are able to choose correctly whom you should trust to free you, then they will do so and you will be free to go. If you choose incorrectly you will remain here, as one of them has vocalised their intentions to rescue you and the other would like to see you stuck here where they say you belong. You are not permitted to ask them any questions as they make their presentation.

The first man approaches. He says "I am the madman. He explains all the behaviours, symptoms and social issues he has committed in the past which has qualified him as insane. I am not normal and I believe in many delusional thoughts and assumptions. You should trust the other person. The other person presents themselves, i am the sane, moral and trustworthy citizen. He explains his rather normal life, family and friends plus several charitable works and volunteering projects he has done for his community. I am normal and hold no delusions. I live in reality. You ought to trust me to make the right decision.

The incarcerated woman thinks for a moment. She has no idea where she is being held captive. Has she been kidnapped and held against her will by criminals? Is this some sick sadistic game? If that is the case surely she should trust the sane and moral citizen to set her free. But what if she is in a mental institution and this is a test to establish whether she herself can identify sanity or not? What if her own sanity is being tested? If that is the case who does she choose? If she is a patient would someone in their right mind ever set her free?
But then would anyone sane say they are not deluded and live in reality? Would anyone mad be able to identify why they are mad with such reason? Why would they recommend the other option?
Who would you choose if you were trapped?

Comments (5)

Outlander May 20, 2020 at 13:58 #414307 0 likes

Ask a question and see who gets angry. Rush them. They probably have a gun on them.

That or fake a seizure or something and if you can do so with your eyes open, look for an item or opportunity to seize and take it.

zookeeper May 20, 2020 at 14:10 #414311 0 likes

I would choose the one claiming to be sane, of course. There is no way to deduce the "right" answer (at best, one can arbitrarily choose a theory about what's going on and make a guess based on it), so choosing the straightforward and seemingly obvious option at least ensures I won't feel really stupid if it's the wrong choice after all.

Neuron420 May 20, 2020 at 22:06 #414429 0 likes

I would chose the one claiming to be a madman. A genuine madman would not recognize himself as being "mad", yet he would believe himself to be perfectly sane, moral and worthy. How do I "know" this you ask, because I am perfectly sane and people frequently accuse me of being a "mad man", Bwwhahahaha!

Pfhorrest May 21, 2020 at 01:18 #414478 0 likes

If the first person is actually mad, yet still sane enough to recognize himself as mad, then he is sane enough to recognize the second person as sane, as the second person claims. If he was so mad that he was not able to gauge his sanity, then he would say he was sane, which he doesn’t.

If the second person is actually mad, so mad he can’t tel, then the first person is sane. But a sane person would not incorrectly assess themselves as mad, which the first person does.

So either they are both mad, or only the first person is mad. Since you’ve stipulated that only one is mad, we must conclude the second is sane.

Or we’ve been lied to about the whole setup and there’s no success possible.

A Seagull May 21, 2020 at 03:54 #414515 0 likes

Quoting Benj96

A person is trapped in a facility desperate to escape.

She should use her magic powers and escape.