# Ethical dilemmas (game)



## Misanthropic (Jun 25, 2010)

I have an idea. I'll present an ethical dilemma and the next poster will reply what they'd do in that situation and why. Then they'll present another ethical dilemma and the cycle continues.

I'll start (with a weak example, I'm not that imaginative).

Your little sister gets sick and your parents are having financial difficulties. Your brother comes up with the money to pay for some medicine but you know that he stole it to help your sister. Do you tell your parents and not only get him in trouble but risk them refusing the money as a matter of principle? Or do you keep quiet?


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## cold fission cure (Aug 31, 2010)

Keep quiet. Get the money. Get the medicine. Stop snitchin.

Somebody asks you to hold the camera and take their picture. You look at the viewfinder and can tell instantly it will be a bad picture, but they are smiling and you can tell they're eager and they really want things to work out. Do you warn them of a bad picture (ie give them back the cam and say "sorry, you should try again some other day") or do you go ahead and take a disappointing picture even though their friends/family might make fun?


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

I'd say something silly and try and get everybody laughing.

No such thing as a bad photo when everyone's happy.
__________________________________________________________


You are walking along a crowded pavement, when an obviously wealthy well dressed man/woman makes a b-line straight through the people infront of you forcing you into the road. A car beeps at you angrily.

You turn around to ask for an apology and you notice a 100 dollar bill fall gracefully from the rich persons pocket onto the ground infront of you, as they saunter off down the pavement.

Do you take the money? (no-one is watching!)

Or do you chase after the person and give it back?


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## Misanthropic (Jun 25, 2010)

JimmyDeansRetartedCousin said:


> I'd say something silly and try and get everybody laughing.
> 
> No such thing as a bad photo when everyone's happy.
> __________________________________________________________
> ...


I might keep the money, considering how rich they are, but I'd donate _all_ of it to charity. If I can't donate it to charity or give it to less fortunate people (besides myself) then I would return the money.

Here's another one, although I didn't come up with it. It's a popular thought experiment among ethicists :

A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are five people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, you could flip a switch, which will lead the trolley down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single person tied to that track. Do you flip the switch (and kill one person) or do nothing (and allow 5 people to die)?


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## vulgarman (Jul 4, 2010)

move the sixth person to the main track, have beer with philosopher.

During an election, the choices are: party A's candidate, who is corrupt; and party B's candidate, who is not yet corrupt, but will become so once elected. Who do you vote for!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

OMG!


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

vote for the guy who's not yet corrupted, then go to the New York Times and make a prediction about the not-yet corrupted guy and also publicize the fact that the corrupted guy is corrupted. Later, when my prediction comes true, I campaign on that basis and win a landslide victory.

give me a minute.


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

Imagine you are placed in a room with Adolf Hitler when he is only 3 years old. You have a gun, know exactly what he does during world war 2 and will not be charged in any way if you choose to kill him, but at the time he is just an innocent baby, would you kill him?


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## Misanthropic (Jun 25, 2010)

Vulgarman,

Nice way to dodge the question. That's not an option!



leonardess said:


> Imagine you are placed in a room with Adolf Hitler when he is only 3 years old. You have a gun, know exactly what he does during world war 2 and will not be charged in any way if you choose to kill him, but at the time he is just an innocent baby, would you kill him?


I don't know if I could but I think it would be the right decision to make. Maybe now I'm dodging the question. If I could, I'd kidnap him and leave him on someone's door step in 2010, I'd leave his parents a note saying that he's fine.

This isn't very imaginative but I didn't take the time to think of another dilemma when I replied.

You know that your friend is cheating on their spouse. Do you tell them?


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## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

Misanthropic said:


> You know that your friend is cheating on their spouse. Do you tell them?


No, I wouldn't want to be the marriage breaker. Besides, he/she would find out eventually. If not - even better? lol

Question: You're a doctor and there's a large group of patients waiting to see you. The waiting time for newcomers is at least 90 minutes. Then a woman comes in with a baby. She asks if she can see you immediately. Do you let her cut line, or tell her to wait her turn?


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## OregonMommy (Mar 3, 2010)

I like this game, great idea. So far, I like the photo-taking one the best.

^ It depends on the baby's condition, or the other patients age and conditions. At times, an infant or child has a stronger chance than, say, an elderly person. If the infant is in immediate danger, yes. If not, no, refer the woman to pediatrics.

Another health-related dilemma. : You have a relative who you are close to who has a terminal illness. They beg you to help them end their life. Do you assist with their suicide, knowing it will end their pain and they will die anyway, or do you tell them no and find other means to alleviate the pain and spend the time with them that you can?


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## OregonMommy (Mar 3, 2010)

bump


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

Misanthropic said:


> Vulgarman,
> 
> Nice way to dodge the question. That's not an option!
> 
> ...


ooh ooh I got an answer to this one! I would tell my friend that I know, and that if they do not confess to their spouse, then I will tell them.


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## Daktoria (Sep 21, 2010)

OregonMommy said:


> I like this game, great idea. So far, I like the photo-taking one the best.
> 
> ^ It depends on the baby's condition, or the other patients age and conditions. At times, an infant or child has a stronger chance than, say, an elderly person. If the infant is in immediate danger, yes. If not, no, refer the woman to pediatrics.
> 
> Another health-related dilemma. : You have a relative who you are close to who has a terminal illness. They beg you to help them end their life. Do you assist with their suicide, knowing it will end their pain and they will die anyway, or do you tell them no and find other means to alleviate the pain and spend the time with them that you can?


I'd spend as much time as I could afford seeing that my relative's sane. If that became apparent and there wasn't any manipulation (maybe the person was in pain because someone was harming him or convincing him a cure wasn't viable), eventually, I would. It would hurt, but leaving the person there would hurt more and it would not be the best thing to do. Would I be guilty if I left him there? No because I didn't initiate his pain, but I could make things better without sacrificing my dignity.

-----

You find out that tomorrow through the internet, someone would find nuclear launch codes and hack into launch facilities and destroy the top 10 largest cities in the world.

In your hand is a button to EMP the world (AKA shut down all electronic devices for good). Would you hit it?


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## Daktoria (Sep 21, 2010)

Alright, another one in case that wasn't interesting enough. :roll

You're trekking through the arctic and stumble across two sexually compatible people who don't have enough protection and are on the verge of freezing to death, but if they bond wholeheartedly, their bodies will heat up enough to keep them sustained until rescue arrives in several hours; there is no contraception around at all (assume 15% likelihood per person being homosexual such that pregnancy might not be an issue, but one person might be forced to bond despite not becoming warm enough to live, 20% likelihood per person having an STD).

Both of them have dependents back home, and they promised their dependents they would return, but the two people out in the cold are not particularly interested in each other.

What do you do?


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## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

^Lol, I don't get what you meant there. I guess I'll pass this one up. 

*waiting to answer a scenario that doesn't involve life-or-death situations*


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## Misanthropic (Jun 25, 2010)

Daktoria said:


> I'd spend as much time as I could afford seeing that my relative's sane. If that became apparent and there wasn't any manipulation (maybe the person was in pain because someone was harming him or convincing him a cure wasn't viable), eventually, I would. It would hurt, but leaving the person there would hurt more and it would not be the best thing to do. Would I be guilty if I left him there? No because I didn't initiate his pain, but I could make things better without sacrificing my dignity.
> 
> -----
> 
> ...


Yes. As for your second scenario, what can you do? Force them to have sex? Advise them to?

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Your child is dying but the only way to save them is to give them some magical substance that will make them invincible and keep them alive indefinitely (for all you know, the rest of eternity). Do you save them or let them die?


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