A634.1.5.RB - The
Train Dilemma: When no Choice is a Good One!
Every day we must make choices, and those
choices must be made in the best interest of our own moral and ethical standards
as we must live with the benefits and consequences of our actions. In this blog
I will be disgusting the ethical dilemma described
in The Train Dilemma: When no Choice is a Good One, and what would I do when having to make a choice.
Scenario 1
A train is hurtling down
the track where five children are standing. You are the switch person. By
throwing the switch, you can put the train on a side track where one child is
standing.
Will you throw the switch? (Source:
Thomas Anderson, Case Western Reserve University)
If I were faced with this scenario and I had no
other choice but to either save one child or five, I would choose to save the
five. The value of life is immeasurable and it’s not up to us to decide whether
one person lives or die. But placed in this situation I feel that saving
as many lives as possible is the correct choice.
Scenario 2
Same scenario except:
You are standing next to an
elderly man. If you push him in front of the train it will stop the train and
all the children will be saved.
Will you push him? (Source:
Thomas Anderson, Case Western Reserve University)
It is safe to say that if I found it ethically
acceptable to throwing a switch to sacrifice one child to save five, that I
would also find it ethical to preserve the same five lives for that of a
elderly man. The differences in the ages of the person being sacrificed does
change the moral dilemma or choice that has to be made.
Scenario 3
Same scenario except:
The one child on the side
track is your child.
Will you throw the switch
to save the five children? (Source: Thomas Anderson, Case Western Reserve
University)
This is a great twist and gives perfect example
how someone that has been taught right from wrong moral and ethical compass can
be altered. In this scenario or any other that involve my immediate family the
choice is clear. Family above all others. I know and understand how it sounds.
In this module we learned about Lawrence Kohiberg stages of moral development.
(Andre & Velasquez, 2014) The first is pre conventional which is where we define
what is right and wrong based on authority and the second stage is conventional
level, where you base everything on what your family and friends have taught
youI for one feel a strong sense of ethics based on what my family sees as
ethical. My family and immediate family taught me this early and I teach in to
my kids.
In each of the three scenarios the
question being asked is, would I be willing
to violate a moral rule if it means minimizing harm. And the answer is yes,
without hesitation. It is about knowing your responsibility,
acting upon it and maintaining high standards in the face of adversity. (Brennan, 1998)
Works Cited
Andre, C., & Velasquez, M. (2014). Markula
Center for Applied Ethics. Retrieved from Santa Clara University:
https://legacy.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v1n1/taught.html
Brennan, M. (1998). Can ethics be taught in the
classroom?Brennan, Michael. Canadian HR Reporter, suppl. Guide to Training
& Development.
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