Top 10 Moral Dilemmas
Published on October 21, 2007 - 166 Comments
Thankfully most of us do not come across dire situations that present a moral dilemma, but it is always a very interesting exercise to consider a dilemma and our reaction to it. So, I now present you with a list of ten agonizing moral dilemmas, in no particular order. (Be sure to tell us what you would do in the comments.)
10. Concentration Camp
You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don’t he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don’t have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?
9. The Accident
You are an emergency worker that has just been called to the scene of an accident. When you arrive you see that the car belongs to your wife. Fearing the worst you rush over to see she is trapped in her car with another man.
She sees you and although barely conscious, she manages to mouth the words “I’m sorry”…
You don’t understand, but her look answers you question. The man next to her is her lover with whom she’s been having an affair.
You reel back in shock, devastated by what her eyes have just told you. As you step back, the wreck in front of you comes into focus. You see your wife is seriously hurt and she needs attention straight away. Even if she gets attention there’s a very high chance she’ll die.
You look at the seat next to her and see her lover. He’s bleeding heavily from a wound to the neck and you need to stem the flow of blood immediately. It will only take about 5 minutes to stop, but it will mean your wife will definitely die.
If you tend to your wife however, the man will bleed to death despite the fact it could have been avoided.
Who would you choose to work on?
8. Spam Filtering
You are the network administrator for a rather large company. You have a young family and need your job to support them. As part of your responsibility as a network administrator is to monitor the emails for the organization. Usually this just means occasionally allow through emails for staff members that have been accidentally blocked by the spam filters.
One day you get a helpdesk request from a staff member asking for an email to get released. Normally it’s standard procedure except this time the request has come from the wife of a very good friend of yours. You recognize the name on the helpdesk request so quickly attend to the problem. As part of the procedure you need to manually open up the email to ensure that it isn’t spam, so you do and you discover that it certainly isn’t spam. You find that it’s actually an email to your friends wife from her lover. You scan the rest of the contents of the email and there is no doubt that she has been having an affair for some time now.
You release the email, but you can’t decide what to do. You’re initial reaction is to call your friend up and tell him about the email, however you quickly realize that company policy is very strict about revealing the contents of confidential emails of staff members regardless of the contents and unless someone’s life is in immediate danger, under no circumstances are you permitted to reveal the information.
In any case you know that revealing this information presents great risk, because even if you don’t do it directly, there is a good chance that the dots will be joined somewhere along the line and you will be found out. However you feel that by not telling you friend that you are aiding his wife get away with adultery and this troubles you greatly.
What do you do?
7. The Neighbor
You have a wonderful daughter. She is 8 years old and has always been a happy outgoing child. But a while ago something terrible happened, she was raped. You are quite sure that the person who raped her is your neighbor. Your daughter is so traumatized she has stopped speaking, but she in other ways been able to convince you that he is the one. Unfortunately not enough evidence can be found to convict him.
You try to put your life back together. You move to another house and try to help your daughter in any way you can, but it is clear that the experience has ruined her life and that of your family.
One evening you have taken your wife out to dinner at a restaurant when you spot your former neighbor at another table. He is eating alone and looks unhappy. You quickly finish eating and leave. The next day you find out that your former neighbors wife has been murdered. Enough evidence to convict him of the murder is soon found, and at first you are very happy, finally his will get what he deserves.
But then you remember that you saw him in the restaurant at the time of the murder. you know he did not murder his wife. Maybe he paid someone else to do it… You remember that the police said that it had been made it look like a burglary, maybe it was…
You sit down to think. If you keep quiet he will be convicted for the murder, and the real murderer will go free If you give him an alibi, he will go free, but you can’t be sure the real murderer will be found, and it is possible that the evil bastard paid someone to do it… What do you do?
6. 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. What should they do?
5. Nieces and Daughters
You and your family are going away for the weekend. Your daughter is 7 and is best friends with your niece, who is also 7. Your families are very close and your daughter asks if your niece can come with you on your holiday. You have been on holidays together before and don’t see any problem, so you agree.
You arrive at your holiday destination and the house you are staying at backs onto a beach. The girls ask if they can go for a swim. You tell them that they have to wait until you have unpacked the car, but they can play on the sand directly in front of the beach. They run down to the sand, and you begin to unpack the car. After about 5 minutes, you hear screaming coming from the direction of the beach and it sounds like the girls.
You run down to see what the matter is, and you discover that they hadn’t listened to you and have gone for a swim. There is no one else on the beach and the girls are caught in a rip.
The girls are really struggling, particularly your niece who isn’t as strong a swimmer as your daughter.
You swim out quickly, but when you get there, you realize that there is no way you will be able to get both the girls back into shore on your own. You realize that an agonizing decision will need to be made.
You need to decide which of the girls you will rescue first, you have enough strength and energy to rescue them both, but you can only do it one at a time. You look at the two girls, and your niece is really struggling to hold her head above water and you know if you take your daughter back first, there will be little or no chance that she will survive.
Your daughter is struggling also, but is much stronger in the water and you estimate that if you take your niece back to shore first, there’s probably a 50% chance that your daughter will be able to stay afloat long enough for you return, but you simply don’t know how long she will hold on for.
4. Hit and Run
One morning you are driving to work, and as per usual you are running a bit late, so you are driving a touch faster than the speed limit. You reach down to your stereo to change the CD, when all of a sudden your car hits something solid. You spin to a stop, but not before several more cars have run into you and each other in an attempt to avoid the accident.
As you look up and out of your car, you can see that you hit a person, and that the person is not looking very good. In fact, you are sure that they are dead. You shakily get out of your car, and look around at the damage that has been caused. Several cars have been badly smashed up, but more importantly you have killed someone with your careless driving.
As you are standing there in shock, a woman comes up to you, tears running down her face, and obviously very shook up. As a natural reaction, you ask her what is wrong. She gives you a funny look, and then she explains that she just ran over someone. You ask her where this person is, and she points towards the person that you ran over!
You don’t understand why, but for some reason this woman thinks that she caused this accident and killed the person, when in fact you are well aware that you were the cause. Whoever accepts the blame is likely to be placed in jail for a very long time. If you let the woman take the blame, there is a very good chance you will get away with it all. However, there is also the chance that you could be placed in jail for even longer for trying to cover it up.
3. Drug Bust
You are on holiday in Bali with your 18 year old son and wife. 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 sons bag, he begins to get a bit more active.
You look over at your son and he’s looking a little nervous. You know he’s smoked a little marijuana in his time, but generally, he’s a good kid, and you certainly didn’t think he’d actually be stupid enough to bring it back on the plane with him. 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.
You look at your wife and realize she has come to the same conclusion and has gone pale with fear.
The armed officer accompanying the dog is beginning to look more stern with every sniff the dog takes and looks directly at you and asks you to open to the bag.
You do, and as the officer begins to take things out of the bag, you see to your horror that there is a small quantity of marijuana stashed in with your sons belongings.
The officer looks at you and asks “Who’s bag is this?”
You realize you have to answer, but the answer won’t be easy. You see your wife in the corner of your eye, and she is about to step forward and claim it as her own; what do you say?
2. The Mad Bomber
A madman who has threatened to explode several bombs in crowded areas has been apprehended. Unfortunately, he has already planted the bombs and they are scheduled to go off in a short time. It is possible that hundreds of people may die. The authorities cannot make him divulge the location of the bombs by conventional methods. He refuses to say anything and requests a lawyer to protect his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. In exasperation, some high level official suggests torture. This would be illegal, of course, but the official thinks that it is nevertheless the right thing to do in this desperate situation. Do you agree? If you do, would it also be morally justifiable to torture the mad bomber’s innocent wife if that is the only way to make him talk? Why?
1. Lifeboat
You are going on a cruise. 2 days into the cruise your ship experiences technical difficulties and the captain says it needs to make an unscheduled stop. A couple of hours later the captain makes another announcement that the ships hull has been breached and that you will all need to start heading to life rafts and abandon ship. The ships life rafts are lowered as people begin to pile in and you get on board one of the life rafts.
As it is lowered however, it hits the side of the ship, putting a hole in the side of the raft, and when it hits the water it begins to sink. There are 10 people in the boat and to prevent it sinking, you quickly work out that by having 9 people working for 10 minutes while 1 person rests you can bail the water out with their hands, quick enough to keep the water at bay and preventing it from sinking, but you have to continually keep it up to ensure that the boat doesn’t sink. By being able to rest one person you are greatly able to increase the length of time you can keep the boat afloat, however if the rescue team doesn’t turn up you calculate that within 5 hours the boat will sink and you will all die.
While taking your break, you glance over to another boat and notice that a friend of yours who you met on the boat is there and has noticed your predicament. He is signaling for you to come over and join them on their boat so you don’t have to continue bailing water out. There is only just enough room for one more person. You also notice that their boat is moving away rapidly with the current, but your boat can’t keep up because the hole is affecting its buoyancy.
You estimate that if you jump ship, you will force all 9 remaining crew members to bail water continuously, which will reduce the total time they can stay afloat to just 2 hours, but will ensure that you will be able to live long enough to be rescued.
If you stay aboard, you will not have another chance to jump ship, and there’s no guarantee that the rescue will arrive in 5 hours, meaning you will drown, however by staying you give everyone a better chance of survival.
As you watch the boat with your friend drift away, you realize you have about 30 seconds to make a decision:
a) Do you stay on your current boat and help keep it afloat as long as possible and hope that the rescue will arrive in 5 hours
b) Do you go to your friends boat, ensuring your rescue, but reducing the chances of the others on the boat being rescued?
Source: Moral Bliss
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1. Juggz - October 21st, 2007 at 11:36 am
I love this list, something to make you think.
2. Samiam - October 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Oh wow, I hope I’ll never be presented with those situations. Making the choice is terrible, but trying to justify it is worse.
3. jfrater - October 21st, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Samian: I agree - I felt a bit sick reading them because I just can’t comprehend what it must be like to have to make these decisions!
BTW: I have corrected some spelling errors that Cyn, thankfully, pointed out.
4. Ravyn - October 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pm
eeps…. no response…these are difficult
5. steve - October 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pm
10 - don’t pull the chair out, the officer will probably kill someone else anyway, and it’s a much easier way to die then to stay there doing who knows what for how long.
9 - Save the wife, and then go onto the other person if he’s still alive
8 - ignore it. If they’re using business email, they will get caught eventually, so stop worrying.
7 - Tell the police, even if he did pay someone to do it, he will go to jail.
6 - Use the dynamite, the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few.
5 - Save your daughter first
4 - Say you were the one who hit the person, there’s no guarantee you will go to jail, and it is always safer to tell the police the truth the first time.
3 - Hardest one i think, not sure what i’d do
2 - Torture the mad bomber thats acceptable, do not torture his wife. He is mad, he may not care about her.
1 - Save yourself. I know above i said the needs of the many out weight the needs of the few. But that’s when you know you will be saved, there’s no guarantee if you stay and help.
those are my answers.
6. wowzer - October 21st, 2007 at 12:03 pm
The last one would be easy for me. The answer is use the stupidest person’s head to plug the hole, the jump ship. Seeing as those with the least intelligence often have the most swollen heads about themselves, applied properly you’ve just saved them too. Then jump ship and hope noone cares if the guy drowns.
7. trebek - October 21st, 2007 at 12:12 pm
#7 I definately keep my mouth shut, however if there’s any way I’m totally sure the neighbor is the rapist he wouldn’t have lived long enough to make it to jail
8. Kelsi - October 21st, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Steve: Wow, I agree with all of your answers except for the one about the raped daughter. I would, as a woman who knows how precious children are to a mother (not being a mother myself, but seeing mine in defensive action), probably have killed the man who raped my daughter, however since this is not the case here, I would not say a damn thing and let the man suffer for what he has done.
9. Kelsi - October 21st, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Oh, and I would turn my son in to the police. It’s not a large amount of weed, and if he was stupid enough to try that, he deserves punishment. No way am I going to stick up for my son’s blatant stupidity when it comes to drugs.
10. newsong - October 21st, 2007 at 12:44 pm
10. Lose-Lose. Get up on the chair and hug your son. It’s probably going to be your last moment anyway, you might as well end it quickly. (Doing something quick and surprising to get shot should be an easier way to die than by another kind of torture…)
9. Take thirty seconds to try and apply a compress to the man’s neck with your shirt, then help your wife. She’s sorry, after all.
8. Talk to your boss, or keep the secret. Their marital problems aren’t worth your job.
7. Because you’re better than him, report that he couldn’t have been the murderer. Who knows, maybe his conscience will lead him to confess his abuse of your daughter? Unlikely, but still, you’re better than him.
6. Find a weak spot in the cave wall and use the dynamite there. If you killed her and survived, the guilt would not be worth living with anyway.
5. Never underestimate the power of a scared saviour. Drag them both to shore, you have more energy than you think. Ask your daughter to kick her legs.
4. Calm the poor woman down, tell her you don’t think it was her that hit the pedestrian. Take the consequences.
3. Your son should take the rap. Don’t let your wife take it either. Besides, come on, whose clothes are in the bag? It’s easy to tell whose it is and only makes you an accomplice. It’s really your fault for being too tolerant a parent, but let your kid learn something about the law.
2. It is morally justifiable to torture him, but not his wife. Chances are if he’s crazy it won’t matter anyway.
1. Tell your boatmates to steer your boat towards the other boat and get them to help you bail. They’re just sitting there anyway.
About half these problems just require thinking outside of the box rather than moral decisions.
11. lydia - October 21st, 2007 at 1:21 pm
10.refuse to hang my child.
9.help the man.
8.tell the friend.
7.let the molester go to jail, family come first.
6.use the dynamite.
5.hold onto both girls and scream to the spouse for help.
4.own up.
3.it belongs to my son.
2.torture both for the sake of saving many more people. plus the wife is not so innocent to marry such an imbecile.
1.get onto the friends’ boat.
12. Jack11 - October 21st, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Those are great (and disturbing). I like the one I read elsewhere. It’s kind of a moral dillemma, more like just a tough decision. The way it was told to me was that it used to be on some job applications. I think it’s just a clever joke, but I really like it. I’ll try to tell it as best I can.
You are driving home from work on a rainy day when you see three people standing at a bus stop. None of them have an umbrella, and are surely uncomfortable. The first is an old woman who is probably sufffering under the cold rain. The second is an old friend of yours who once saved your life. The third is the girl of your dreams. You have room in your car for one passenger. Do you:
A: Give the old woman a ride as she is suffering the most.
B: Give your friend a ride as you owe him big time.
or C: Give the girl of your dreams a ride as you may never see her again.
One witty job applicant answered with this:
I would give my keys to my old friend so he could take the old lady home, then I would stand in the rain with the girl of my dreams.
13. jfrater - October 21st, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Steve: Callous for number 6! heh
Newsong: very pragmatic answers - I agree with most
lydia: I agree with your number 2
Jack11: the witty job application wins in my books
14. petey mcgee - October 21st, 2007 at 3:17 pm
#9 do nothing, let them both die and watch them go. I have made it very clear that if my wife ever cheats, she is going to die.
15. Jen - October 21st, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Regarding #3, I’m surprised people here are so quick to say they’d turn their son in. Remember, this is happerning in Bali, which has very strict drug laws. If your son is arrested there for drug possession, you may never see him again.
16. Jen - October 21st, 2007 at 3:22 pm
petey mcgee–Are you serious? I mean, cheating is certainly wrong, but you really think it’s punishable by death?
17. Oyster - October 21st, 2007 at 3:37 pm
10. I would not pull out the chair
09. Half-assedly help the man, but focus on the wife
08. if anything comes up where the friend is suspicious of the affair anyways, tell him about the e-mail.
07. let him hang
06. Use the dynamite, but not without a struggle.
05. definately try to call for help, and die trying to save both, if I couldn’t make it.
04. TELL HER!!!!
03. It is my son’s.
02. Use torture, very easily.
01. Hmmm…. it really depends on the type of people in the boat. If they are trying their hardest, and generally physically fit, I would stay. Otherwise I would jump.
18. ben - October 21st, 2007 at 4:03 pm
for all my answers im going to go on moral basis only, though in real life i’d try something other than the obvious.
10. Look into your sons eyes. what do they say? if they say he understands, pull the chair you saved a mans life. in not, refuse.
9. Its my job, I have to prioritize. the man gets the help
8. Don’t tell the friend you know is wife is cheating, but say you have reason to suspect. He will probably investigate if your sincere.
7. Stricly by morals, I wouldnt say anything. In real life, i would approach him with this deal: admit to rape and i will provide your alibi in murder
6. the woman dies. pregnant or not pregnant. She would have died when the tide came anyway
5. tell my daughter to stay calm and kick, then rescue my neice first.
these next 2 are hard.
4. perhaps the only one where i make the wrong decision. Ask other people what they saw, and if no one knew exactly seal your lips.
3. my son knew better.
2. first, make sure theres irrefutable evidence hes the bomber, then torture him but not his wife. nothing horribly extreme.
1. stay in the boat, but make sure my friend knows how and where to send help.
19. kunle - October 21st, 2007 at 4:06 pm
its a crazy world, anything can happen!
20. Tony Brooklyn - October 21st, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Needed……..A list of movies based on some of these moral dilemma’s. Anyone seen Abandon Ship with Tyrone Power ?
21. Fe - October 21st, 2007 at 4:52 pm
10 - Depending on how long I have been in the camp, I doubt death is something I fear any longer, but I don’t have the right to make that decision for anyone else. The guard will most likely shoot another prisoner anyways, so go out with a blast and attack the guard.
9 - The life of a woman who is going to die anyways versus that of someone who can be saved. Sounds cold, but that’s the way it has to be viewed. The man can be saved, the woman cannot.
8 - Once you know the woman is having an affair, there are ways of clueing in the spouse without revealing that you found the info in an email.
7 - Karma is a bitch. Tell the neighbor that if he doesn’t confess to the rape of your daughter, that you will let him fry for murder.
6 - This is such a silly scenario it’s not even worth commenting on. In the first place, what in the world is a pregnant woman doing in a sea cave and in the second, wtf is someone doing with a stick of dynamite?
If it were a better written scenario, I would say that the life of one when balanced against the lives of many is easily sacrificed, preggers or not.
5 - Again with the silly scenario. Who in their right mind would send two little girls down the ocean without supervision, especially after they have made it clear they want to go into the water?
It’s amazing what people can do in desperate circumstances. I’m sure with a bit of struggle, between the man and the daughter, they all three could reach the shore safely - and I would hope the dude would make it clear that such disobediance and stupidity has consequences.
4 - I hit the person, I take the fall, that’s kinda a no-brainer.
3 - The kid is old enough to know the odds and the risk of carrying drugs. His drugs, his punishment.
2 - In this situation, this waste of space has no rights, but I find the idea of torture repugnant, so I’m in a bit of a quandary. The evil side of me says to hand him a stick of dynamite and light the fuse. If he refuses to talk, at least he will suffer the same fate as his victims and be answerable for their deaths.
1 - Since I’m such a math whiz, I should know that the life of one person is not worth the lives of 9 others. I’ll take my chances with the rest.
22. SUN - October 21st, 2007 at 5:50 pm
10. Wouldnt pull it. No guarantee anyway that innocent will be killed or spared . The HARDER dilema is being required kill an innocent in order prevent your child from being killed.
9. Spouse. One will die so Id attempt to save the one most likely to survive due to my effort. Course if it was my cheating spouse —
8. Since its a good friend, I’d tell immediately w/o hesitation what I’d seen and I have. Another option is advise the cheater to confess immediately or else you’ll expose them. If in doubt, one could ask the friend if they would reveal to you if your own spouse was cheating and why. I’d tell though.
7. I would speak up - justices best chance comes from facts and Id inlcude my rape suspicions as well. Besides, the restaurant could come out later anyway.
6. Nobody gets killed in hopes to save others or guarantee to save others.
5. Much like #9 and the 50/50 chance isnt enough to disregard the stronger being placed first since theres no guarantee anyone will make it to shore.
4. Tell her and everyone the truth. Thank goodness that obstructing justice is a crime.
3. Execution or life in prison isnt a ‘lesson’ situation. I would refuse to answer, demand legal council and then be honest.
2. No torture.
1. I would not stay with a sinking boat.
23. Hannah - October 21st, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Agh! I hate this list! Hopefully we’ll never face moral decisions like this…
24. seymour - October 21st, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I honestly see no dilemmas here. There is right, and there is wrong. Black and white. It’s tough, but in our heart of hearts, as cognitive beings, we know what to do. Why do lie detectors work? Because, ultimately, our bodies know we are doing something erroneous. The same with these decisions. These dilemmas are just like how I like my women: tough…but easy.
25. petey mcgee - October 21st, 2007 at 6:29 pm
jen- yes, i am serious and she was well aware of this before we got married. i have been cheated on before and i love my wife so much that i absolutely cannot take that kind of pain. it may not be the healthiest outlook, but it is the way things are.
26. Vicky - October 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm
10) If my son was old enough to understand the situation, and that to not kill him would be to kill him and another, then I would do it. I feel like a horrible person, but I would have to do it. But if he was young, and not able to fully understand, I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t outwardly tell the friend, but I would drop hints like crazy. I would use any information I read in the email to try to lead him to the conclusion that his wife is cheating without actually having to say anything outright.
9) I would save her lover, because you could at least save one person definatly.
7) I would say I saw him at the restruant, because there’s a good chance that they would find out that he paid someone and he would be punished for that. Either way, I would probably beat the shit out of the neighbor. And definately get the daughter in therapy if she isn’t already.
6) I think it’s up to the pregnant woman to choose. It her who would be sacrificeing her life and that of the child.
5) I would rescue the neice as quickly as possible, but I would only get her to a point where she could get to shore on her own, so it takes less time and I could get to my daughter quicker. And I would desperately yell for help, hoping someone would get to my daughter while I was helping the neice.
4) I would speak up, because A) I have no right to ruin a strangers life and B) It would be incredibly stupid to get more jail time by not speaking up.
3) I would say it was his, because I think as a kid they’re more likely to not be executed. Anyway he was the one who was stupid enough to bring drugs on a plane.
2) I think it would be justifiable to torture the bomber, after all it’s one lunatic’s suffering for hundreds of lives. It isn’t however justfiable to torture his wife if she is indeed, innocent.
1) I would stay, mostly because I would feel and look like complete scum if I let all those other people die. Plus, who says you die as soon as the boat sinks, I think you could tread water for maybe another half hour.
27. Vicky - October 21st, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I forgot to mention that for #2 you could also bluff, and make it seem like his wife was being tortured.
28. Mathilda - October 21st, 2007 at 7:02 pm
I’m with seymour on this. The most moral decision is fairly obvious in most of these cases. The only real question is whether or not you can justify behaving immorally to yourself to gain something that you want (your daughter to live, yourself to live, yourself to not go to jail).
The concentration camp one would be the most difficult choice for me, I think, because according to the scenario if you do not kill your son, he will be killed anyway and so will someone else. If you do kill him, he alone will die. So there is no real choice of action in which you can gain anything; the knowledge that you did not kill your own son would be offset by the fact that someone else died because you did not. That being a wash, I’d have to say do nothing because none of us can ever know what will happen - the guard could drop dead of a heart attack, a meteor could strike, the deus ex machina lifts your son off to the heavens, whatever.
petey mcgee - I guess you would answer the tiger? Me, I always believed that it was the lady.
29. jen - October 21st, 2007 at 7:06 pm
petey mcgee–Oh, I see. You “love” your wife so much that you would be willing to kill her.
30. Emily - October 21st, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I didn’t get number six at all. The pregnant lady plugged up the mouth of the cave? With her belly? I don’t understand.
Besides, any group of people w/ a pregnant lady in it still has someone else who is bigger, at least here in the states, lol
31. The Dum Guy - October 21st, 2007 at 7:57 pm
All of the answers to this are simple, if you just ask yourself “What choice is best for me and my future?”. When a moral dilemma occurs, choose with an amoral mind.
Take number 9 for example, if you help your wife then you are stuck with a cheating spouse, and if help the man, you just saved a guy who poked your wife and will most likely do it again to someone else’s wife. The solution is simple, help neither and find a new wife.
As for most of the others, just make sure you don’t have kids, abortion is legal for a reason, and thats to keep kids from happening.
32. Monkey - October 21st, 2007 at 9:35 pm
10- I would refuse to pull the chair out from under my son and tell the guard that the innocent person to be killed should be myself.
9- I would try to save my spouse. Sorry, I’m just sentimental.
8- Drop your friend an anonymous note saying that he’s being cheated on. Disguise your handwriting. Let him follow up on it if he wants to.
7- I like the idea of telling the neighbor that you’ll provide his alibi if he confesses to your daughter’s rape.
6- Someone flatten the pregnant woman’s stomach while the others push her out of the cave. The human body is surprisingly pliable. She’ll probably have a miscarriage, but at least everyone else (her included) will be saved. It was also a good idea to detonate the dynamite in a weak spot in another part of the cave.
5- Before you run into the water, grab something that floats for your daughter to hold on to while you rescue your niece. Or, have your daughter help you save your niece.
4- Take the blame. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.
3- Say the drugs were planted.
2- Torture him. Torture his wife if necessary. They won’t die from torture, but other people definitely will die if you don’t try it.
1- Everybody swim to the boat with your friend in it. Take turns having people in the boat and people out of it holding onto the sides until help arrives.
33. jfrater - October 21st, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I am truly amazed at how many different answers have come up - I kinda expected everyone to agree for the most part. Aside for a couple, that didn’t happen. The best thing is it got us all thinking before work on Monday
34. Shabab - October 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 am
10. shoot myself
9. let them both die. cheaters can go to hell
8. not tell my friend. (but figure out a way to catch them red handed later)
7. hahaha…no dillema there….let the bas*ard rot in prison
6. oh god..un-answerable….wud probably group together and blow us all up thus solving the problem
5. niece first…since shes my responsibility….what wud i tell her parents if she died????
4. shoot myself
2. make it look like torture….but not really torture her….wud be just as effective
3. i’d say “its my stupid stupid son’s”….and then i’d shoot my son
1. easy.shoot myself.
35. Lasse - October 22nd, 2007 at 3:26 am
10. I would go for the guard. Your son is dead anyway, no matter what you do. You are most probably going to be killed too at some point. Going for the guard gives you the possibility of revenge, an honourful death and to save the other person the gard was going to kill.
6. Using the dynamite at another place in the cave.
5. Try to save both at the same time. You don’t know if your assumption of your own strenght is correct.
4. I would take the blame, and be a person i could live with after getting out of jail.
3. Say that it is my sons stash.
2. You can´t defend freedom by destroying it
1. I won’t pay for my rescue with less possibility for the others to be saved.
36. jfrater - October 22nd, 2007 at 4:37 am
Shebab: you don’t have a gun - the two options in the list are ALL that you have
Lasse: Same for you on your number 6 - the dynamite will only work in that one place - you are just avoiding the issue
37. Ravyn - October 22nd, 2007 at 5:10 am
Jamie: How dare you get people to think before Monday morning chaos hours!!!
38. jfrater - October 22nd, 2007 at 5:21 am
Ravyn: Because I’m the boss! Now get in line!
39. Ravyn - October 22nd, 2007 at 5:35 am
*lines up*
I already said I ain’t got answers for these. But that was also pre-Monday Chaos hour. I am in the middle of chaos hour now (that would be getting my kids ready for school and on the bus).
40. Ddd - October 22nd, 2007 at 5:37 am
These are generally easy sitting at a computer, but in real life it would often be hard to be so detached. But anyway, for what it’s worth…
10. Refuse to pull the chair away. The blood will be on the guard’s hands, not yours.
9. Save the wife. Not for any vindictive reason against her lover, but if you have to make a choice, it may as well be someone you know. And whatever they did, that’s no reason to let them both die. If you really loved her (as you should if she’s your wife), you wouldn’t be able to stand by and see her die, whatever she’d done.
8. Don’t tell anyone - it’s none of your business. If it comes out later and you’re questioned about the mail (unlikely), just say you didn’t bother reading it.
7. You have to tell the police that he didn’t do the murder. “Maybe he paid someone else to do it” - that’s not for you to decide. As for what he did to your daughter, two wrongs don’t make a right. One day your daughter may feel more able to talk about what happened, and you can deal with it then, through the proper channels. Perhaps that all sounds a bit glib, but I couldn’t imagine myself doing things differently.
6. Dynamite, I’m afraid. Needs of the many. Unless, of course, they’re all very old or suffering from incurable diseases.
5. Save the niece first. In real life, you’d always save your daughter, though, wouldn’t you?!
4. If I was looking at the CD player, how do I know I hit a person? The woman seems pretty sure she did. I would be honest and say “I may have hit someone but I don’t know” and let it be decided in court, as it should be.
3. At this point, whatever happens and whoever takes the blame will ruin your marriage and destroy your relationship with your son. Tell them the bag’s his.
2. Torture is never acceptable. It’s possible to evacuate crowded areas on a country-wide basis if needed, and your time would be better spent doing that.
1. Stay on the boat you’re on. There’s no guarantee your friend’s boat will fare any better in the long run, and also if you fail to make the swim to the other boat (which is quite probable under the circumstances), you’ve just killed yourself and risked nine other lives for no reason.
41. jfrater - October 22nd, 2007 at 6:06 am
Ddd: excellent responses all.
42. purvislets - October 22nd, 2007 at 6:37 am
Wow! I can’t imagine what I’d do in real life for any of these situations, but here’s what I think I should do:
10. Get up on the chair with your son and hold him. Even if you pull the chair out from underneath him someone else in the camp is going to die anyway, so doing so would only delay the inevitable. At least this way the guard killed your son, not you.
9. Theoretically there should be more than one paramedic in the ambulance, but in this case it seems like it’s only you. I would have to prioritze and save the man who could be saved first. Maybe get him stable then try working on the spouse. I couldn’t just “let” either one of them die, especially since being a paramedic would be my job in that situation.
8. I would confront the man who requested the email be unblocked and tell him that if he does not confront the friend and tell him that he’s cheating with his wife then I would. Idiot shouldn’t be writing or receiving personal emails at work anyway. Besides, who would ask for a personal email from the person they are cheating with to be unblocked knowing full well that the email has to be opened?
7. Give the alibi. You don’t know that he “hired” someone to kill his wife. Besides, you can tell the attorneys that you think he was the man who raped your daughter. Hopefully this has already been looked in to, but if not it will at least come out now. Be the better person.
6. Unrealistic. If the woman could get into the cave then there isn’t any reason she couldn’t get back out of the cave. Wait until the water gets a little higher the push her through. The water should help her slide through easier. I also liked the idea of using the dynamite somewhere else.
5. Try to rescue both of them. Have your daughter help kicking. You can at least bring your daughter closer to shore then let her go and focus on getting your neice in. Upon reaching the shore, beat them both senseless for not listening and drive them home. Vacation is over.
4. Since it says “you can see that you hit a person” then you have to own up to it. It was an accident after all.
3. Ask for legal counsel, then talk about your sons options. He has to confess to it and pay the consequences of his actions. Do not let your wife take the rap. Even if it means he has to spend a long time in jail or worse. If you let your wife confess and she’s in jail for the rest of her life, your son will probably still be using drugs back home.
2. This is a tough one. Torture is illegal and unfortunately this scum bag has rights too. But I would still threaten him. If you torture him or his wife then the judge in the case may have to dismiss any charges and he’ll be let go, possibly to blow up more people later. Try your best to ascertain general locations and evacuate as many people as you can.
1. Stay with the lifeboat. Try to get your friends boat over to help bail. Or send them off to get help.
43. Lasse - October 22nd, 2007 at 6:58 am
jfrater>> You are right. As for nr. 6, i would not pay for my life with someone elses (and her unborn child). So i guess its dinner with the fishes for me.
But of course, this is easy to say now, with the sun shining in from the window and a nice warm cup of coffee besides the keyboard.
44. jfrater - October 22nd, 2007 at 7:28 am
Lasse: heh yes - everything is easy when you are outside the situation
purvislets: your answer to number 6 is hilarious! I can just see it (and I don’t want to!)
45. Pashan - October 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 am
10. No way I could kill my own son. Not ever!
9. I would save my spouse, then file divorce papers. (Just for kicks I read the list to my husband and he answered, without hesitation, “I would let the lover die, save you, let you recover and then kill you myself.”
8. I would not tell my friend about the infedelity, that’s none of my business.
7. This is a tough one for me. I think I would let him go to jail for murder. Although I like the answer above of blackmailing him into confessing to the rape.
6. I don’t think I could kill one person to save the rest. I just don’t think I could do it.
5. I would try to save them both! I couldn’t let a child die.
4. I’d fess up to the hit and run.
3. My son would have to get busted and I would appeal to the US to intervene on our behalf.
2. Torture him, leave the wife out of it.
1. I would stay and help the other 9 bail water as long as we could.
46. jfrater - October 22nd, 2007 at 9:19 am
Pashan: number 9: hahah. I like the rest of your answers too - very decent
47. AmazingThor - October 22nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
10. Won’t kill my kid. If the guard kills someone else, its on his head, not mine.
9. Family first, save the wife. Although this is kinda stupid because there is almost always TWO people in an EMS unit.
8. Company policy says I can’t give out the info in the email. But it doesn’t say I can’t confront the cheating wife.
7. I’d provide the alibi. After all, I don’t know 100% the guy is guilty of either the rape or the murder.
6. I’d first ask the pregnant woman if she was willing to sacrifice herself. If she says no then I wouldn’t be the one to use dynamite. Murder is murder, I’d rather drown.
5. I think this one is unanimous: try to save both
4. Tell the truth
3. If you choose to break the law then you choose to face the consequences
2. I’m not convinced torture works. People will say anything to make you stop. So, no torture.
1. Start bailing
48. RWDrummer - October 22nd, 2007 at 10:22 am
It’s funny all the people on here who would hand their son over for torture or execution, but wouldn’t torture a confessed bomber to save a city full of people. As the father of 4 boys, I know first-hand the stupidity they’re capable of, but I would never turn them in over something as trivial as a small amount of marijuana. I’d say that the bag was mine.
49. George - October 22nd, 2007 at 10:44 am
10. I don’t kill my son. The guard is only trying to screw with my mind anyway. It’s not my responsibility.
9. Save the wife, if she doesn’t make it, you know the bastard died too.
8. I wouldn’t tell. It’s not my business, and the fact that they use company email systems guarantees a screw-up at some point. If it’s one of two people I think about, I’ll tell him anyway.
7. I don’t provide the alibi. If for some reason I did not arrange for the sob to have an accident, he can rot in jail for the rest of his life for all I care.
6. Not smart of the pregnant woman to come along. If there is no way for her to go to the place where she entered, I wouldn’t want to try and suck O2 out of salt water. Besides, who would be so dumb to try to get a pregnant woman through a hole she clearly doesn’t fit in. Besides: if everybody got out first, and then she stuck herself into the hole, plugging it, she’d survive because she would be free to breathe and people could devise a solution once the tide goes out.
5. The three of us either make it or we drown together.
4. Traffic specialists will come in and they will determine the true cause [they are quite good where I live]. Just own up, but chicken out halfway. This is my worst dilemma, actually.
3. His mother is not going to take the fall for his stupidity. If I hadn’t managed to get through to him when he was younger and, knowing we’d be going to a country with these very strict laws and being aware of my son’s history with recreational pharmaceuticals I would have implored him to not do anything that he would regret for a very long time, it would be partly my fault too.
2. Torture the wife. Leave him scott free [well, if anyone dies, life in jail of course] and torture him by knowing he was the agent of the torment of his wife. No mercy.
1. I go to the friend’s boat. Because I’m gone, the boat will be lighter and ride a little higher in the water and that’s going to take away some of the burden of the guys doing the hosing. And besides, in a true survival situation, you look out for others when the situation allows for it [because you’d want a helping hand from a stranger too], but in the end you need to live.
50. Salman - October 22nd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
9: Save the man first; he’s more likely to be saved and HE didn’t betray your trust (well, it’s possible you might know him, but he’s not married to you and isn’t bound by the rules of fidelity).
51. Joan - October 22nd, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I think you do what you can live with. These aren’t decisions that can be made on the spur of the moment - you would act on them on the spur of the moment according to the way you have lived your life.
I wouldn’t hang my son. Figuring we’re all doomed anyway, I’d take my chances and invite the guard to shoot me.
You try to stop the man’s bleeding and also try to save your wife. In a situation like that, there’s the shock of seeing the shape the people are in, and the realization of the affair is probably something you haven’t even grasped yet. If you loved your wife before, chances are you still love her. Normally you would try to save both.
You do nothing and release the e-mail.
You do the ethical thing and tell the police the man has an alibi. If he did something wrong, he WILL be found out.
You see if you can bomb another part of the cave and put a hole through it.
You would try to save both and get encourage your daughter to kick or stay afloat in some way. Maybe have the niece ride on your back and have your daughter hold onto your legs and kick, assuming she’s light enough that you can still kick.
Own up to the accident. An accident is just that, an accident, not punishable by the electric chair.
Tell your son you’ll do what you can to get him released, and seek help from the U.S.
Well, the torture may not work or may not work in time so you’re in trouble any way you look at it. And if his wife doesn’t know anything and he won’t talk, that’s no good either. You could THREATEN to torture his wife as a last resort and take her away to another room so he won’t know you’re NOT torturing her and see if that gets him to talk. Beforehand you should be trying to figure out where he’s been and evacuating and trying to reason with him. There’s always a shot of sodium pentothal.
Well, there are three things you can do besides jumping to the other raft. You can start the bailing schedule OR everyone can jump and hold onto the side of the working raft with people taking turns riding on the boat, or putting a child there or someone more frail. Or you can send someone else over there who maybe isn’t in as good a shape as you are. That will also lighten the boat.
And yes, I remember “Abandon Ship” with Tyrone Power. A tough film! I couldn’t do what he did, I’m afraid.
52. tjgrs - October 22nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm
my only coments are for the lifeboat one…first, a raft alone can have anywhere from 10-20 people in it with a modern lifeboat being able to hold 70 full grown men. Second, you would have a life vest and could survive a couple hours in the water with that, depending on temperature, time of year and time of day as well as the marine life in that area…but i would probably stay
in all the others…
10. Don’t kill my son, the other person will most likely die anyway, as will my son, but not by my hand.
9. Save my wife
8. Keep it to myself and don’t tell
7. Provide alibi proving me to be a better person
6. Use the dynamite, though it could possibly cave in, which screws everyone over
5. What type of wimp can’t carry two 7 year old girls? i would save niece first and hope my daughter made it.
4. I would probably let her take the blame, though i would most likely get caught later.
3. I let my son take the blame and call the U.S. embassy, they wouldn’t execute a child over a small amount of mariuanna, jail? most liekly, but not execution.
2. I would torture the bomber, but not his wife, unless she knew about it.
53. Bjesomar - October 23rd, 2007 at 1:41 am
few postulates before we begin:
1. there is no greater deed of love than to sacrifice one’s life for fellow human
2. it is better for a righteous to die, then unrighteous, cuz righteous will be saved by death, and unrighteous will be condemned by death.
3.However, unrighteous may become righteous only if he lives and sees a deed of uttermost love. If he doesn’t become righteous, he is beyond salvation, hence, he is as good as dead anyway.
4. There are no other viable solutions then ones described, meaning that i assume it is not possible to save all involved, for that is always the first choice.
#10. Concentration camp - People that end up in concentration camp are already dead, it is only a matter of exact time of their burial. The only purpose of staying alive in camp is to convert as many unrrighteous to righteous, by deeds of mercy and sacrifice. So i would ask my son to jump from his chair, and by that to save other prisoner (P1). If he refuses (too afraid) but is righteous, kill him (P2). If he isn’t righteous and other prisoner is, ask the guard to first kill the other prisoner, maybe that act of sacrifice will convert son to righteous(P3). If neither are righteous it is better to kill the son, cuz otherwise he might be tortured prior to death.
#9. The Car Accident - Wife said she’s sorry, talk to her to make sure she redeemes herself completely, and she’s probably going to die anyway, so let her die. Other guy should be saved, so that he may became redeemed (P3).
#8. Spam Filtering - I wouldn’t inform the collegue. If he has to find out, he will eventually. However, i would talk to wife, and try to convince her to stop with cheating and come clean with her husband.
#7. The Neighbor - Save the rapist by testimony, but make sure he understand that through your love he is saved, so that he may become righteous and confess rape(P3). So come clean with him but don’t bargain.
#6. The pregnant woman - Ask the pregnant woman is she willing to sacrifice herself, same as in case #10. If she is righteous, she dies. If she isn’t, ask other 9 people are they willing to die so she might live. If they are righteous, they die. In all other cases, she has to die.
#5. Drowning girls - If really not possible to save both, even if helping each girl to stay afloat for 5 secs consecutively, save the niece first, cuz then you would have 50% chance for them both to live.
#4. Car Accident - Tell the truth. If she really believes that she’s guilty, say that nevertheless you’ll take the blame, maybe she’ll became righteous (P3).
#3. Drug Bust - Atleast here you don’t have to see is your son righteous, he definitely is not. Therefore, you take the blame, maybe it will make him become righteous (P#)
#2. Mad Bomber - Talk to guy and try to make him tell the truth without torture. If that fails, talk to wife, to see if she will participate willingly. If she is righteous, she will endure some pain in order to save people. She can even pretend to be tortured, in order to get details from her husband. If she is not righteous, and will not help you to save hundreds of innocent people, she is part of the crime, and there is nothing you can do to turn her to righteousness. Only if all that fails, i would torture them both, since i would be sure they are beyond salvation (P3).
#1.Lifeboat - If there are 0% chance to save all people on boat, there is no reason for anyone to stay. I would tell them that we’re beyond salvation, and i would ask them to join me for swimm to other boat. I would accept to save my life only if i could save all other lifes before me.
However, why not join two boats, and make group of 19 people who will remove water from leaking boat? 15 people can work together while 4 people rest, and boat could be afloat for more then 5 hours.
54. a_marie - October 23rd, 2007 at 8:44 am
Im really surprised at all of the different answers people are giving. Most people seem willing to sacrifice themselves; i wasnt really expecting that to be honest.
10. I would stand with my son til the very last minute; the guard will do what he wants to anyway.
9.I would tie something around the mans wound to slow down the blood flow, giving my spouse more time to live and more time for me to work on her.
8. I would release the e-mail; my job isnt worth the risk and the husband deserves to know.
7. I would report the man’s alibi and all of my suspicions about his wife and my daughter.
6. Use the dynamite in another spot. Im sure i couldnt live with myself if i sacrificed a woman and her unborn child for my own life.But why is the pregnant woman leading them out?
5. I would grab my niece, and tell my daughter to grab on to her to help keep her (my daughter) afloat. Together they would probably weigh the same as an adult so i should be able to make it to shore. The adrenaline rush should probably help also.
4. Tell the woman what i believe-that i hit the person. I couldnt live with the guilt.
3.I wouldnt let my spouse take the blame over myself. Punishment for drugs in other countries is severe; id make my son confess and help as much as possible.
2. Copy off of an episode of 24 and make it look like you were torturing her when you really weren’t-hundreds of lives are at stake, but chances are his wife is innocent.
1. Tell my friend to get his lifeboat to come over to them and help them bail out. If they couldnt do that then i wouldnt leave.
55. Jrav - October 23rd, 2007 at 8:55 am
Jack Bauer has pretty much been through every one of these scenarios.
56. Grumpy11 - October 23rd, 2007 at 10:01 am
Some of these are made easy because I can’t swim. But the one with the dilemma of providing an alibi, remember that if you don’t provide the alibi, you are allowing the real murderer to skate and commit a murder without being held accountable. You would have to join OJ in the search for the real killer.
57. smarrt - October 23rd, 2007 at 3:18 pm
for number 6: take out the baby using a sharp rock. then proceed to eat the baby. then that bitch oughta fit back out the hole.
58. ben - October 23rd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
im kinda surprised and a little dissappointed. I think a lot of people are answering what they “should” answer. Im also jealous most people have time in the morning to visit the site
59. TFullerman - October 24th, 2007 at 1:00 am
10. Do nothing. The guards hold the position of power and will do as they please. Do not be responsible for ending your son’s life. The other innocent inmate is probably you.
9. Apply a perfunctory tourniquet to the man’s neck (see #10 for tying instructions) and save your wife.
8. She’s slipping up in other areas. Your friend probably already suspects something is awry. Send him JFrater’s moral dilemma list. He knows you work in IT.
7. 1st rule in the military, “Never volunteer unless ‘asked’ [ordered] directly.” Did you make contact with the cho-mo in the restaurant? Are you 100% sure it was him? Did he see you? It may have been a Doppelganger. Remember, time of death is an estimate. He may have done his deed prior to arriving at the restaurant.
6. Deliver the baby. Use the dynamite.
5. Provide your daughter with encouragement and direction. (Come on sweetie swim with me.. we’re going together, you can do this) grab your niece, go with the flow of the rip tide - not against it and you can save them both.
4. You don’t know what happened. Tell the woman she doesn’t know what happened. Wait for the police. Tell them what you remember. The “bump” may not have been the pedestrian. Forensics will sort it out.
3. “Its her bag” jk. You say nothing and ask for the US Embassy [in my case].
2. If the suffering of his wife will provide hard and fast results - yes. If he doesn’t care about her, torture him- while evacuating the building of course. (I had to temper that…)
1. Stay on your own boat. The other one might spring a leak as well.
60. Yaji - October 24th, 2007 at 1:33 am
Awesome list, here’s what I think are the right things to do ^^
10. Don’t kill your son.
09. I’m sure emergency workers are instructed with some sort of guideline of what to do in these situations, so I would follow that. I guess it would probably mean saving the guy.
08. Ignore the mail. She will probably be caught anyway.
07. Tell the police.
06. Don’t use the dynamite. I do not believe in “the needs of the many outweigh…”.
05. Save the niece.
04. Tell her/the police you did it.
03. Step forward first. It’s your responsibility anyway to make sure your son doesn’t break the law.
02. Do not use torture.
01. Stay in the boat / call out to the other people for help.
61. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 1:40 am
BJEsomar: I presume you are religious - do you not think that your first premise is incorrect? Surely the greater deed is to give up your life for God? It also makes me a bit nervous that you are presuming to know whether or not a person will be “saved” and using that to decide that a person deserves to die.
Wow - you guys are really thinking hard about these things - most of the answers are very impressive.
62. Bjesomar - October 24th, 2007 at 3:05 am
jfrater
First premise is set by Jesus himself in NT. In short it states Love => Sacrifice.
That’s a strange thought that best thing in God’s eyes person can do is to die for Him. What benefit has He if I die? Does that justifies suicidal bomber, that they died for their God? I think that greater thing is to live for Him, to be living testimony of His existence. I’m not sure did I made myself clear: I do not decide is the person righteous or not, persons actions define his state of heart. Even a evil person could be willing to die for his friend, but to die for people you don’t know is for me a sign of righteousness. And in all “to die for or not to die for” cases, we are actually talking about strangers that we have to save in a cave or in a boat, right?
Anyway, it’s a great theme, cuz it includes divinity and humanity. It would be great thing to ask religious scholars, what would their God do
63. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 3:13 am
Bjesomar: Okay, I get your point - thanks for clarifying. How about this dilemma to make it a bit tougher on you: reconsider each of the moral dilemmas with the presumption that all of the pertinent people are “righteous” according to your terminology. Do you have to answer differently?
64. Bjesomar - October 24th, 2007 at 5:12 am
In that case, i have no problem for putting any number of righteous to death, acc to Post 2.
I believe, i would try to minimize total number of dead people, so in case #10 it means i kill the son, and in case #06 kill the pregnant woman. However, looking from the behaviour of Jesus, maybe abstaining of any action could be answer, He didn’t seem to do much when faced with lose-lose situations.
But it is interesting to note that you didn’t notice that in case #02 my morale would make me torture the wife in either case
65. Kieran - October 24th, 2007 at 5:14 am
10) I would probably kick the chair if the guard was serious that he would kill us both. If my son looked really upset, I would fight the guard, kill as many guards as possible and try to free my son.
9)I dont know the guy so i have no reason to WANT him to live. He has been sexing my wife so i now have a reason to want him to die. So i would pretend to try and save my wife, who will die guilty, and then he will also die because i didnt help him first.
7) I would let him go to prison for murder, and I never forget. When he returned, I would set him up for another crime, because he will be more suspicious having just been released on a murder charge.
6) Everyone knows extreme sports and hobbies carry risks. So if a pregnant woman risks doing it, she knows she can die. I would try my utmost hardest to push her out the hole in the cave, if not, use the the dynamite.
5)Take my trousers off and puff them up and tie a knot in the legs. Give this to my daughter, take the neice to the shore, shallow enough where she can stand up, go and get my daughter who has more chance of surviving thanks to my wonderful flotation device.
4) Out of all the crashed cars, I am the one who knows for certain I hit the person, therefore I would say that the cars crashed first, and that I am unsure who hit the person, I would tell police I dont think it was the lady, but im unsure in what order everything happened.
3) Would be pretty horrible to let my son ruin his life, but at 18 years old he must have realised all this would happen.
2) Torture him, I dont see how his wife would need to be tortured but torture her aswell if needed. Sounds pretty harsh but I would ask all the citizens if they felt I did the right thing by saving all there lives. If 90% responded I did the right thing I would be happy, even if i lost my job.
1) If they were all healthy, and fit, and were genuinely trying to save each other, I would stay. If they were panicky and half assed and not helping, I would leave. Survival of the fittest.
66. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 5:25 am
Bjesomar: Okay - so let us say that all the people in a concentration camp, by their example of suffering, have made many people righteous - meaning that they too are righteous, is it okay for them all to be killed?
Also, I am concerned about your point that an unrighteous person won’t be saved so should be killed - how do you know that five years in the future he would not become righteous? Why do you get to make the judgement?
67. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Kieran: your number 5 is hilarious! Very Macgyveresque
68. Bjesomar - October 24th, 2007 at 5:41 am
1. Before i answer, let me explain the basis of early christianity spread.
People were so vigorous in their faith, they didn’t practiced religion, they lived it. Inspired by their living-faith example, thousands converted. In order to stop religion from spreading, the Adversary tried to kill all righteous. However, by accepting death in forgiving and inspiring manner, executing christians converted even more people to christianity, and made opposite effect then intended. The point is: if many are righteous, then it is best for as few as possible to die, cuz then there is better chance that remnant will spread their faith.
2. That would be the “insulting Holy Spirit” case.
Do you know that in NT Jesus said: “whoever insults Son of Man, it can be forgiven, but if one insults Holy Spirit, it cannot be forgiven”
How is that possible, i ask your opinion, that God cannot forgive certain things?
69. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 5:55 am
BJesomar: I am aware of the “insulting Holy Spirit” - however St Augustine and the early Church fathers considered this to mean the sin of not repenting at the last moment. That would mean that there is no living human being that can not be forgiven. But regardless, you still can not say that you have the power to know whether a person is or is not in a state of sin. If you go to this article on the Catholic Encylopedia, and scroll down to “VIII. SINS AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST”, there is a larger explanation of the concept
70. DiscHuker - October 24th, 2007 at 6:14 am
i’m surprised that nobody has said that all of these situations are the fault of the bush administration and that number 1 is impossible because the holocaust never happened. besides this list was already done better by asian directors john woo and mekii takashi.
71. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 6:23 am
DiscHuker: Argh!
72. Bjesomar - October 24th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Well, it seems that I understood it little differently, so please bear with me as i try to explain.
What can change man’s path from evil to good?
It can be many things, but basically it is an incident when man is moved by certain action so deeply in heart, that he realises his “blindness”. That doesn’t happen without strong testimony of Holy Spirit to that person’s spirit, and person suddenly realises the truth, so strong is the Spirit’s testimony.
But in mind, person can reject the obvious truth, and therefore makes his heart hard as stone. Such was the case with King Saul from OT. In such case, person is beyond salvation, cuz if the person rejects direct Spirit-to-spirit testimony of Holy Spirit, nothing bigger can be done for him to soften his heart.
Therefore, that person is utterly condemned, it cannot be saved anymore.
So in the view of the Morality Cases, i would suppose the wife is condemned, if she does not agree to the deal. But it should be one mf-charming deal :-), if rejectment would lead to eternal condemnation.
73. jfrater - October 24th, 2007 at 6:50 am
Bjesomar: thanks for the answers - I found them very interesting
74. Litebritejorge - October 26th, 2007 at 10:16 am
I cant answer all of them, but
9. I’d save my wife, the guilt would be there for ever if you didn’t at least try to save her. Besides everyone knows EMTS don’t come one per ambulance. Someone else can get the other guy.
8. I’d probably wind up talking to the wife. Tell her that she should stop, and/or confess to the husband, but I wouldnt say anything to him.
7. I’d tell the police. I want vengeance, but I want it to be just. Losing his wife if he didn’t do it would be some fraction of justness for his crime.
6. Dynamite the lady. It would suck, but it would be saving more lives and I’m sure this lady would understand.
5. I’d rescue the niece first. Yes I would have to live with it, but the guilt would be greater to have someone else piling it on me than if it were just me.
4. I’d talk to the police making sure she talked to the police and claimed to have hit the man first. I’d tell them I think I killed someone and if there are two people who both think they ran this person over, yea both of us may get in trouble, but they may also discover that one of us is guilty or they may even discover the guy was already dead and we both hit him. Besides what makes me so sure I hit him anyway.
2. Yes, I would torture the innocent wife. Most mad men have something they love and something they cling onto with their every being and while he may not care about her, he may also love her more than anything and no one can bear to see the ones they love hurt. I would hope she would understand why the police were doing it, but maybe I have seen too many movies.
1. I’d have to jump ship. It may be selfish but they are also wearing life vests and there would be all sorts of things floating around they could cling to. Cruise boats also have homing signals and whistles on their vests in case something like that does happen.
75. Joe Blackk - October 27th, 2007 at 8:15 am
10) wouldn’t pull the chair…damn germans were heartless and would kill everyone anyways
9) i’d sit back and watch them both die….but not before saying “I’M sorry.” with a grin
8)I’d tell my boy…loyalty.
7)his problem not mine…let him get raped in jail
6) as sad as it sounds she would have to go…that would be a really tough decision for one person to make…probably should require a group vote.
5) the niece..i was trusted with her safety..hope that my daughter is as strong as i think she is…either way i’d probably die trying to save both..
4)this one is difficult…i’d probably keep my mouth shut
3)I’d say it was mine…he’s my son.
2) torture..no doubt..any means neccessary
1) damn who knows…
76. Peggy - October 28th, 2007 at 4:17 am
10.I would die first.
9.Don’t know,would have to really happen to know that.
8.Say nothing
7.Say nothing
6.let the people vote,then i wouldn’t feel so guilty.
5.Both or,die trying.
4.Sorry,i would say nothing again.
3.I would take the blame before i would let my wife,But in this case,my son.
2.Torture his dog first.Alotta men like that care more for thier dogs!!
1.This is another one where it would really have to happen for me to say.I try to avoid ships & planes.
77. Jasu - October 28th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Well I have answers, but I’m not sure that they wouldn’t change if it happened in real life. ^^;
10. Concentration camp: I would attack the guard. I couldn’t live with myself if I killed my son, and I couldn’t live with myself if another innocent person died because of me. Besides, if I refused and someone died, his family members or friends would kill me anyway; probably more painfully. If I didn’t refuse, and my son died, the guard would probably kill me for being a coward anyway.
9. The Accident: Emergency workers usually work in pairs, don’t they? Let your partner else deal with the lover. I’d tend to my spouse.
8. Spam Filtering: Confront the wife. Give her an ultimatum: Tell him or I will.
7. The Neighbour: Tell the police. After all, the wife was probably innocent and we don’t want her rolling in her grave because the wrong man is in prison. Let God be the judge when the man eventually dies.
6. The Pregnant Woman: Laws of physics - something that can get stuck can get unstuck, right? Pull the woman back in, get everyone out, and let her plug the hole again so she doesn’t drown. Get someone to rescue her.
If that was physically impossible… Ask the woman’s permission. If she says yes, use the dynamite. If she says no… Beg forgiveness and use the dynamite anyway. ^^; The people in the cave have a right to live as well.
5. Nieces and Daughters: ‘you realize that there is no way you will be able to get both the girls back into shore on your own.’ Doesn’t say you can’t drag them both out of the rip. :p Drag them both out of the rip, then let them swim back. You can help them if they’re struggling.
4. Hit and Run: I don’t even drive yet. XD But, you know, it’s your fault if it’s your fault. Own up and deal with the consequences.
3. Drug Bust: I have zero tolerance for drugs. If your son is stupid enough to try, let him deal with the consequences.
2. The Mad Bomber: Torture the man. If you don’t, hundreds of people will die without you having done your best to stop it.
1. Lifeboat: I would stay in the sinking boat and help. I’d probably regret it, but I’d stay anyway.
78. forrest gump - November 3rd, 2007 at 11:56 am
mama always said ,”stupid is as stupid does.” now i know who she was talking about.
79. daphox - November 11th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
The easiest choice is number 9, let them both die and laugh while you watch.
80. Clems - November 11th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
seeing as I’m socially psychotic, my judgement is not clouded by morality
so the answers are
10 - hit him with the chair
9 tend the guy and while your doing it tell the wife what your gonna spend her life insurance money on when it pays out
8 blackmail her lover for cash then beat the shit outa him and video yourself doing it for your mate
7 what? you should have killed him weeks before the restaurant thing – go do it- take your time – enjoy yourself.
6 pocket the dynamite there might be a cave in – just snap her spine or something she’s dead anyway
5 tough shit neice but you ain’t mine
4 fuck that shit forensics on the car will nail you anyway – get your story straight about how you where rear-ended INTO the victim
3 hard lines kid, but your room would be a great place to put a den – maybe I’ll get me a pool table with the money I’ll save feeding you…
2 yup, get out the pliars and make sure your both standing next to his wife when its time for the bombs to go off
1 b - thats not even a tricky one
81. onewayheart - November 26th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
What is it with everyone and thinking outside the box? These questions are like yes or no questions.
One or the other. No other choices. No saving them both. Just A or B.
82. Ihavetheanswers - November 28th, 2007 at 2:38 am
Agreeing with oneway, stop squirming around the dilemma’s, answer straight damn it.
10. I would not pull the chair, who cares about another inmate, innocent or not
9. Wife of course, she was a bit unfaitful, so what
8. I’d shut up, it’s not my problem someone is cheating someone else, friend or not.
7. I would not offer alibi, if there was even a remote chance the guy had done the deed to my daughter.
6. Blow the fat cow up, why did she try to go first damn it.
5. Daughter first, too bad for the niece.
4. I would confess having been the one driving over the victim.
3. I would say the drugs are my son’s, stupidity must have a price and sometimes it is a big one.
2. I’d torture the bomber, wife, their kid, grandparents, mom, dad and any other I could think of to get the info. Personally if needed.
1. I’d save myself, life does not hand out medals to dead people.
83. Devin - November 28th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
My main problem with most people’s response to number 2 is that there is still no guarantee that he will reveal the locations of the bombs. In addition he may simply make up a false location for the bombs. Remember he only has to buy enough time for the bombs to go off.
84. Steve - December 3rd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
These are the best 10 you could think of? Most of these are pretty easy to answer. Some of them are downright stupid in how easy they are, like the pregnant woman in the cave. How is that even a difficult choice?
85. Elle Rayne - December 11th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
10. I’m definitely not a utilitarian, I guess. I would not take part in my child’s murder.
9. Since when do emergency workers travel alone? Well, in this improbable scenario, I’d try to save my wife first, because she needs more help.
8. She’ll be found out eventually. I wouldn’t compromise my job.
7. I’d testify to his alibi. I couldn’t let a murderer go free, and while it’s tragic that my daughter was raped, I can’t behave immorally to try to enact justice. Clearly, karma caught up with the rapist already.
6. We’d have to take the chance that the dynamite would not kill her.
5. As with #9, I’d tend to the one who needed more help — in this case, it would be my niece.
4. I would take responsibility. I couldn’t let someone else suffer when it was my fault.
3. “It’s mine.”
2. I’m on the fence about torture, and since time is of the essence, I’d put more energy into finding and disabling the bombs, and continue to have an officer pressure him to or provide incentive for him to reveal the location. I would never allow an innocent to be tortured.
1. How the hell did I come up with that formula? Whatever. I would stay on my current boat. We’re in this shit together, and my survival may not be guaranteed on the other boat; for all I know, a shark could attack that boat.
86. Elle Rayne - December 11th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
I can’t believe some people would refuse to help on #9. It’s your job as an emergency worker…you’ll probably lose your job for shirking your ethical responsibility. Karmic payback for being so unforgiving.
87. subash - December 13th, 2007 at 9:33 am
the mad bomber - morally justifiable to torture the man’s wife.. now that s a little stupid.. if he IS mentally ill, how can anyone be sure that torturing his wife wud actually make him talk..
but the drug thing is the best one..
88. subash - December 13th, 2007 at 9:35 am
if u ve got to, torture the bomb squad into doing their work…
89. Shakespeare’s Girl - January 5th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I haven’t read all the comments on here, but I am fairly shocked by the pragmatism of most of the answers I have read. Still, faced with these moral dilemmas, I can’t definitively say that I would react any differently, and that is what drives me nuts. The vindictive side of my soul wants to torture the bomber and jump out of the life boat, and let the cheating spouse and his/her lover die, even do something as simple as rescuing my daughter first. But I know with every fiber of my being that to do any of these things would immediately weigh on my conscience, and I would probably torture myself with my self serving choice for the rest of my life. That said, I am now getting off my soap box and am going to answer the moral questions…
10. Okay, either I’d be terrified of death and just do it already, or I’d be terrified of killing someone and wouldn’t be able to do anything, probably resulting in my own death anyway.
9. While not helping is not an option to me, I honestly don’t know who I’d choose to help. Actually, yes I do. Assuming I love my spouse (I married them after all), there’s no way in hell I’m not going to save my spouse if I can. This does not mean, however, that I would refrain from yelling obscenities at my spouse while saving them, because, face it, I’d be ticked, no matter what happened. Especially if she died anyway.
8. I’d do my job, and if it was really bothering me that much, I’d ask my supervisor what to do, or if it was all right if I shared the information. Assuming I even got that permission, I would probably then confront the cheating spouse (it’s the wife, right?) and ask her to tell the truth to her husband before I went public with the info.
7. I have to agree with those who feel the need to murder this man. This is my daughter we’re talking about, and I’m going to protect her no matter what. On the other hand, I can’t protect her from jail, so I would alert the police to my suspicions, even if they can’t do anything, and then move, and then, after seeing him in the restraunt, take a deep breath, get really mad, and call the police and admit that I saw him or someone who looked exactly like him at the time of the crime. (I was raised to always do the right thing, but this doesn’t mean I’m gonna be nice about it.) Hopefully the murder investigation will uncover evidence in the (probably cold by now) rape case for my daughter.
6. How small is this hole, exactly? And once again, what on earth is a woman pregnant enough to get stuck in a hole doing in a cave by the ocean? Clearly she is close to term. (Either that or really fat to begin with) And why does this guy have dynamite? Is he a psychotic demolitions expert or something? ANYWAY… I have to go with trying to get the woman out of the hole and back into the cave and then letting everyone else go through first and then pulling her back through the hole so she doesn’t drown. This way, nothing explodes, and no one risks a long and painful death, or a really fast death. However, if this were not an option… We obviously didn’t come in through this hole, unless we’ve spent a few months in this cave, so let’s all turn around and go back the way we came. This lady is able to breathe, we can come back to this entrance with a rescue team and get her out as soon as we can. Barring even this, then I say, someone down there has to have a cell phone!!!! I mean, please. Someone just call for help! (Sorry, this turned out to be really long)
5. I can pretty much honestly say that if I knew that my daughter was the stronger swimmer I would shout instructions to her while saving the niece. It’s just a matter of telling her how to escape the rip tide. Besides which, do you think that your sister/brother/whoever you got the niece from is ever going to forgive you if you don’t at least TRY to save the niece? I wouldn’t. However, if it was a situation where I knew that one of them would die, I would go for my own daughter.
4. If I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was me, then I can’t believe that eyewitnesses wouldn’t corroborate that, and I would tell the truth. Also, if you admit to it, you are much less likely to get actual jail time, I know a guy who was in a similar accident, (he actually did kill someone and it haunts him to this day) and while there was talk of sending him to jail for a very long time, I think (can’t remember, we aren’t that close and he doesn’t like to talk about it–don’t blame him) repeat: I THINK that he only got a few months with parole, in addition to having his liscense suspended and lots of community service. It’s clearly an accident that this unnamed victim was killed, and this woman probably hit the dude after I did anyway. So technically, either of us could be the killer. Anyway, that’s getting into semantics a little, and bottom line is, I was the first one to hit the pedestrian, so I’m going to admit to it. And looking back, that’s not an easy punishment, but it’s a whole heck of a lot softer than what this scenario presents.
3. Okay, here’s the thing. I believe that if it’s illegal, it’s wrong, period. Yes, extenuating circumstances, self defense, I get it, but the fact of the matter is, my son just got busted for having illegal drugs in his possession. Yes, I am TOTALLY AGAINST illegal drugs, however, due to the fac