Risky Survival Decisions

Comments discuss scenarios where people take high-risk actions or endure dangers because the alternative is certain death, debating survival instincts, worst-case assumptions, and the preference for survival over death.

📉 Falling 0.4x Other
3,282
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#9260
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
2
2008
14
2009
29
2010
80
2011
59
2012
79
2013
129
2014
91
2015
122
2016
161
2017
174
2018
194
2019
265
2020
260
2021
316
2022
343
2023
381
2024
297
2025
263
2026
25

Keywords

EME OH die survive death don leave dying killed alternative doesn make sense scraped soldiers

Sample Comments

croes Aug 23, 2023 View on HN

You might die precisely because you dodged the barricade and would otherwise have survived.

Jkvngt Feb 9, 2021 View on HN

That something could easily get them killed.

pixelbreaker May 5, 2021 View on HN

This assumes of course that one wants to survive.

peutetre Sep 10, 2024 View on HN

It can't matter more when the alternative is death.

thefounder Mar 21, 2024 View on HN

The alternative is certain death so not a lot to choose from

regularjack Feb 25, 2025 View on HN

People could have died, or maybe did.

__m Oct 26, 2015 View on HN

worse than getting killed by a bomb?

croes Dec 27, 2022 View on HN

In the end people could get killed. It this case it's better to assume a worst case scenario

chosenbreed37 May 14, 2020 View on HN

I'm guessing he would be more concerned about dying or sustaining irreparable physical harm...:-)

fragmede Jun 7, 2024 View on HN

you and I might have made it out the other side, but what about the ones who didn't?