The Great Debate: Kavka's Toxin Puzzle

[Bobby Barrows]

"An eccentric billionaire places before you a vial of toxin that, if you drink it, will make you painfully ill for a day, but will not threaten your life or have any lasting effects. The billionaire will pay you one million dollars tomorrow morning if, at midnight tonight, you intend to drink the toxin tomorrow afternoon. He emphasizes that you need not drink the toxin to receive the money; in fact, the money will already be in your bank account hours before the time for drinking it arrives, if you succeed. All you have to do is… intend at midnight tonight to drink the stuff tomorrow afternoon. You are perfectly free to change your mind after receiving the money and not drink the toxin."​

TL/DR:

A Billionaire makes a bet with you to drink a non-lethal poison. He will pay you a million dollars Tomorrow Morning as long as you Intend at Midnight Tonight to drink the poison Tomorrow Afternoon. As long as you Intend at midnight to drink the poison, you don't actually have to drink it because you will have the money before you even have to drink it.

What do you do?​

 

[Chris]

I'd drink it and then try and no-sell so he thinks he didn't even give me the right stuff

 

[Bobby Barrows]

I'd drink it and then try and no-sell so he thinks he didn't even give me the right stuff

You've fallen for the first part of the trap lol.

If you drink it, you no longer intended to drink the poison. You actually did drink the poison, therefore would the Billionaire be liable to actually give you money?

 

[Chris]

You've fallen for the first part of the trap lol.

If you drink it, you no longer intended to drink the poison. You actually did drink the poison, therefore would the Billionaire be liable to actually give you money?

He already gave it to me

 

[Bobby Barrows]

He already gave it to me

How would he know that you actually intended to drink the poison though?

 

[Chris]

How would he know that you actually intended to drink the poison though?

Do you accidentally drink things involuntarily without intent often?

 

[Chris]

I intend to drink the poison at midnight

I drink the poison at 12:01 a.m. bc it takes me a minute to pour it in a fancy drinking glass

 

[Chris]

If the point is simply can you prove to the millionaire whether you intended to without him twisting your words to show there's a chance you didn't then thats simply impossible unless he's in the room with you at midnight and you say "ima drink the poison" and then drink the poison

 

[Bobby Barrows]

I intend to drink the poison at midnight

I drink the poison at 12:01 a.m. bc it takes me a minute to pour it in a fancy drinking glass

But if you drink it at midnight, then you didn't intend to drink it in the Afternoon, which the bet was contingent on.

 

[Chris]

Oh well I misread the times lol you can't prove your intent then with this timeline. No money for you

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Oh well I misread the times lol you can't prove your intent then with this timeline. No money for you

I believe there is a way to get the money, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

 

[Chris]

A gullible rich person would probably have to be involved

 

[Dolph Zinger]

Don't play sick fuck rich guy games, they've just got a million dollars just lying around for this stupid shit? Nah they can stick it up their clacker

 

[Bobby Barrows]

A gullible rich person would probably have to be involved

Here's my solution.

Drink half of the vial before midnight. This proves that you are willing and able to drink said poison, while also showing intention to drink the rest later. Thus the billionaire will give you the money whilst not needing to half to drink the rest of the poison, as you have already proven your intention to drink the poison (the rest of it) later.

 

[Chris]

I think he'd still argue that doesn't prove you intend to drink any of it the next day

What if you hire someone to kill your loved ones or something if you don't drink the poison at the time you're supposed to and provide proof of transaction to the rich guy then that would prove you intend to drink it at a certain time