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Six Ethical Dilemmas

Choose one of the following dilemmas for the basis of constructing a moral argument, and

reach one of the two listed conclusions.

1. Concentration Camp

You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to

escape, and he orders you to pull the chair from underneath your son. He says that if you don’t, he will

not only kill your son, but he will kill some other innocent inmate, as well. You don’t have any doubt that

he means what he says.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) Pull the chair.

(b) Don't pull the chair.

2. The Pregnant Woman

A pregnant woman leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave.

In a short time, high tide will be upon them, and unless she is unstuck, they will all be drowned except

the woman, whose head is out of the cave. Fortunately, (or unfortunately,) someone has with him a

stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman loose without using the dynamite

which will inevitably kill her; but if they do not use it, everyone will drown.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) Use the dynamite and kill the pregnant woman, but save everyone else.

(b) Don't use the dynamite and let everyone drown.

3. The Baby

You, your baby, and your entire townspeople are being chased by this band of bad people who will kill

you all if they find you. All of you decide to hide in this secret place and are silently waiting for the bad

guys to move away. However, your baby begins to cry loudly, as the killers get approach. The killers WILL

hear the crying. Then, they will find you, your baby, and the townspeople and kill all of you.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) Smother your baby, and save everyone else.

(b) Don't smother your baby, and everyone is killed.

4. Drug Bust

You are on holiday in Bali with your 18-year-old son and your spouse. You have been there for a week

and are ready to head home. All three of you are at the airport getting ready to board your plane, when

an armed officer comes around with a sniffer dog. You have all your bags on a trolley, and the dog sniffs

at both your wife and your bag, and passes over it, however when he gets to your son's bag, he indicates

that drugs have been found.

At first you feel angry that he would do such a thing and start planning your responsibility lecture, but

then you realize that you are in Bali, and they have a zero tolerance policy on drugs, meaning your son

could be jailed for life, or worse, executed, if he does have some illicit materials in his bag.

The officer looks at you and asks “Who’s bag is this?” You realize you must answer, but the answer

won’t be easy. You see that your spouse is about to step forward and claim the bag.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) Let your spouse be arrested.

(b) Tell the officer that the bag belongs to your son.

5. The Hospital Ventilation

You are a doctor working in a small clinic when you learn that, due to an accident in the building next

door, there are deadly fumes beginning to circulate through the clinic’s ventilation system. In one room

of the clinic there are four patients. In another room, there is one patient. If you do nothing, the fumes

will reach both rooms containing patients and cause their deaths.

The only way to avoid any deaths is to hit a switch that will cause the fumes to bypass the room

containing the four patients. As a result of doing this, the fumes will enter the room containing the

single patient. If that is done, the single patient will die, but the other four patients will live.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) You should hit the switch.

(b) You should not hit the switch.

6. The Life Boat

You are on a cruise ship when there is a fire on board, and the ship has to be abandoned. The lifeboats

are carrying many more people than they were designed to carry. The lifeboat you are sitting in is

dangerously low in the water – a few inches lower and it will sink. A group of old people are in the water

and beg you to throw them a rope so they can come aboard the lifeboat.

Argue for one of the following two choices:

(a) You should throw them the rope, knowing that everyone will drown.

(b) You should not throw the rope, knowing that all in the boat will probably be saved.