Another 10 Moral Dilemmas 329 Comments Share by David Hopkins Some people have hypothetical minds that like

to debate what is right and wrong. Sometimes, however, what is right and wrong is not so clear, as is the case in a moral dilemma. Three years ago, Jamie Frater created a list o !" agoni#ing moral dilemmas. $ow that it%s so old, & think it%s time or !" more. 'e s(re to tell (s what yo( wo(ld do in each case. !" )vercrowded *i eboat

+o( are stranded with thirty people on a li eboat that is intended to hold only seven. $o one can paddle this heavy boat and it is de initely going to sink, drowning everyone inside it. &t occ(rs to yo( that yo( can save some o the people in the li eboat by throwing all b(t the strongest rowers overboard. ,o yo( think it wo(ld be morally permissible to save some people by throwing others overboard, especially seeing that, otherwise, everyone, incl(ding those thrown overboard, wo(ld have drowned anyway9 .ain (l /i e

+o(r wi e is s( ering rom a debilitating disease that has p(t her in constant and permanent pain and agony. Finally, one day, she decides that she really wants to die. 0owever, her condition is s(ch that she cannot die on her own. She is begging and pleading with yo( to help her commit s(icide. This wo(ld, o co(rse, be illegal. /hat wo(ld yo( do1 Slave%s ,ream

+o( are a child slave in 2 rica, laboring away !1 ho(rs a day making r(gs. )ne night, yo( have a dream3 4od comes down rom heaven and tells yo( that no one, not one person in the world, is b(ying yo(r r(gs. /o(ld yo( eel3 a. ,isappointed and ang(ished beca(se yo( tr(ly are going thro(gh all this slavery or nothing, or b. .leased beca(se no one is bene iting rom yo(r cr(el treatment. 5 ,ebt to yo(r Friend

Slightly based on the trolley dilemma6 there is a train that, m(ch to yo(r horror, is abo(t to r(n over yo(r own son, who has been tied to its track. &t 7(st so happens that yo( have only eno(gh time to p(ll a lever which will send the train down an alternate track saving yo(r son. 0owever, yo( see that, tied to the other track, is yo(r best riend, who recently saved yo(r li e and yo( have yet to repay him or doing so. /hat wo(ld yo( do8 0appening (pon 9oney

+o( are living with yo(r amily in a scarce, poverty:stricken co(ntry. /here yo( live, there is no ood bank, and yo( and yo(r amily are starving to death. )ne day, yo( are o(t trying to ind some sort o ood to no(rish yo(r amily, when something mirac(lo(s ;or problematic< occ(rs. +o( ind a h(ge sack (ll o money that has allen o the back o a tr(ck. +o( reali#e this wo(ld be a ort(ne to yo(r amily, b(t there is one obvio(s catch. This money has to belong to someone else, and to take it and (se it or yo(r amily wo(ld be stealing. +o( co(ld e=plain yo(r sit(ation to the right (l owner o the money, b(t how can yo( know he%ll be a genero(s person- /o(ld yo(3 a. >et(rn the money to its right (l owner or b. Take the money and (se it to help yo(r amily.

? ,a(ghter%s Sleepover

)ne month ago, yo(r !@:year:old da(ghter had a sleepover with her best emale riend, which went very well and both girls had a good time. 0owever, now, she is telling yo( that she is inviting her male riend over to do the same thing. $either yo(, nor her, have ever viewed him as a boy riend or an intimate partner o any kind, 7(st a riend who happens to be male. 0e has agreed to come and stay with yo(r da(ghter overnight, b(t yo( are worried that the event co(ld escalate into teen se=(ality and consider orbidding him to stay overnight, or telling yo(r da(ghter not to invite him. +et, yo( don%t want to be (n air to yo(r da(ghter or her riend. She insists to yo( that he is 7(st a cas(al riend and no se=(al activity will occ(r. /hat wo(ld yo( do@ Choice or the C(re

+o( and yo(r riend are stranded on an island. An ort(nately, yo( are both atally ill. &t 7(st so happens that yo( have an antibiotic that can c(re yo(r illness. Sadly eno(gh, there is 7(st eno(gh antibiotic to save only one person. 0ow co(ld yo( and yo(r riend choose which one o yo( will take the antibiotic- ,o yo( think that either person who takes it will, or sho(ld, eel g(ilty or the other person dying, altho(gh i neither o yo( take it, yo( will both die3 J(dge%s 2bd(cted ,a(ghter

+o( are a J(dge presiding over the trial o an alleged bank robber, who yo( know is innocent. 0owever, something terrible in yo(r li e has happened3 The enemies o the robber have kidnapped yo(r 9:year:old da(ghter and have held her hostage. +o( don%t know where she is. The police have tried to locate her to no avail. The kidnappers have le t yo( an anonymo(s note saying that i yo( convict the robber, they will set yo(r da(ghter ree. +o( ear the kidnappers co(ld be ab(sing or even tort(ring yo(r child. /hat wo(ld yo( do2 .aramedic%s Ancle

+o( are a paramedic and yo( have been called to help a yo(ng boy who was in a car accident. )n the way to the emergency, yo( get in an accident with yo(r elderly (ncle, who yo( know and love dearly. 0e is knocked o(t, b(t yo( are able to determine that he is probably not terribly in7(red and is likely to s(rvive witho(t immediate medical attention. 0owever, i yo( stop to help yo(r (ncle, or even call back(p, yo( know or s(re that the boy will die. The only way yo( can save the boy is i yo( drive away immediately. /o(ld yo(3 a. Stop or yo(r (ncle or b. *eave and help the boy. ! 9an Crossing the >oad

+o( are speeding in yo(r car on a one:way street, thro(gh very thick woods with a mad g(nman chasing yo( and shooting at yo( rom behind. Ap ahead, yo( see a pedestrian crossing the street. +o( ig(re yo( have eno(gh time to stop to let him cross, b(t with the thick woods, yo( cannot drive aro(nd him. /o(ld yo(3 a. Stop to let the pedestrian cross, even tho(gh yo( are being shot at or b. 0it the pedestrian and contin(e speeding away rom the g(nman. B Sophie%s Choice

This is a tr(e story that happened in /orld /ar 2. +o( are an inmate, imprisoned in a concentration camp. 2 g(ard tells yo( that yo( m(st choose one o yo(r two children or him to take to the gas chamber. & yo( choose neither, he will take them both. /hat wo(ld yo( do;2pparently, Sophie told him to take her yo(nger da(ghter, she lost track o her older son, and she later committed s(icide rom the g(ilt o having chosen between her children<.