Dilemmas

Choose a dilemma below and write 2-4 pp (double spaced) on it by applying 2 or more theories we discussed in class on how you would resolve it. (points 0-10 per extra credit essay, 20 points max for the course).

1. A man and his son are imprisoned in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany because they are Jewish. His son is sentenced to die for attempting to escape. The commandant of the camp orders the boy to stand against the wall without a blindfold. The officer then gives the father a gun with one bullet and orders him to kill his son. If he refuses, his son will die anyway and so will another innocent young man.
What should the father do?

2. Dr. Grandov, a psychiatrist, has been counseling Sam, a student at a nearby college, for six months. Sam has been with Buffy for over a year but their relationship is stormy. Sam is in love with Buffy and cannot bear the idea of her seeing other men.
One day Sam storms into Dr. Grandov’s office, enraged. He tells his therapist that Buffy left him for his best friend with whom she says she has been sleeping for over a month. Sam feels he has been made a fool. He vows to kill them both and runs out of the office.
Dr. Grandov knows that Sam is capable of violence and is a gun collector. He’s afraid Sam might do as he says but as a therapist, he is bound by his code of ethics that requires confidentiality and privacy between doctor and patient. This confidentiality is essential if the patient is to trust the doctor and be completely open and honest about his or her problems.

Should Dr. Grandov call the police so they can warn Buffy or should he keep Sam’s comments confidential? After all, he really doesn’t know whether Sam was serious.

3. You and another person are shipwrecked on a deserted island. One day you both find a chestful of gold worth millions of dollars. Your friend becomes ill and is dying. Just as he is about to die, he asks you to promise him that, if you are rescued, you will give his half of the money to his only son, David. You make this promise, and he dies. A few days later, you are rescued and proceed to look for your friend’s son. You find his son, but you also find that he is a rich drug dealer and murderer.

Would you give him the five million dollars and keep your promise, or would you give the money to a charity and break your promise?

4. Mr. Smith made his last will and testament in which he left a part of his large estate to his grandson, Andrew, then nineteen years old. Sometime thereafter, Andrew begins to suspect that his grandfather will change his will and totally exclude Andrew from any inheritance. To prevent this from happening, Andrew kills his grandfather. After his arrest and conviction, Andrew is sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. When the issue of the will comes to court, Andrew argues that he should get his share of the estate as
originally provided for in the will because a legal document properly drawn up should be enforced. Andrew wants to give his share of the estate, if the court rules in his favor, to his girlfriend Jennie so that she can buy a restaurant. The lawyer for the other beneficiaries of the will argues that the state should not recognize the will as valid because, if it did, the state would be allowing a criminal to profit from his criminal act.

If you were on the jury, how would you vote?
5. Arthur is excited about his upcoming vacation. He is planning to go to Thailand where he has read that he can legally have sex with girl and boy prostitutes as young as 12 or younger. He has also read that in some countries prostitution is encouraged as a form of patriotism. He is a moral relativist and believes that each society has the right to its own morals and he also believes the saying ‘When in Rome do as the Romans.’ Although in his country prostitution is illegal and one must be 16 to have legal sex, he sees nothing wrong with it. Besides, the children are from poor families and need the money to help themselves and their families. He thinks sex tourism is a good way for poor countries to help the poor.

Do you agree with Arthur? Explain.

6. During the Vietnam War, you drive into a town where you see two men about to be executed in front of a firing squad. You ask the captain why they are being shot. He tells you that some of his men were killed by some members of that village and that he wants to teach the villagers a lesson. He also tells you that, as far as he knows, these two men could be innocent. You express shock that he would kill innocent men. He gives you a gun with one bullet and tells you that if you kill one, he will let the other go free.

What would you do?

7. A ship capsizes, killing all but thirty survivors who crowd into a lifeboat meant to hold only ten. Captain Spike, who is also saved, takes control of the lifeboat. He tells the survivors that the lifeboat contains only enough food for ten. It will take them at least five days of hard rowing to get to land. If all stay on the boat, all will die, according to the captain. He says that he will pick the strongest to stay because they can row the hardest but that twenty persons have to be pushed overboard. Some of the survivors object, saying that for all to die would be better than to push twenty innocent persons into the shark-infested sea. Finally, the captain’s wish is carried out–some jumping overboard willingly, and others being pushed. Two days later, the ten are rescued. The captain is indicted for murder.

If you were on the jury that would judge Captain Spike, would you find him guilty of murder?

8. Professor Worryd sees Karen cheating on an exam. He calls her into his office and confronts her with the cheating charge. She claims that cheating is not immoral because she and her friend Jessie had a mutual agreement to help each other during exams. Besides, she adds, cheating in this particular case isn’t harming anyone, and how can anything be immoral if it doesn’t harm anyone? Finally, she hints that if Professor Worryd does anything about this, she will spread a false rumor that the professor sexually harassed her and is simply punishing her now for refusing his proposition. Professor Worryd comes up for tenure next year.

If you were the professor, what would you do?

9. Susan is a secretary for a well-known and loved television evangelist, the Reverend Taylor. One day, the minister’s wife comes to Susan’s apartment in a very depressed state and tells Susan that the reverend has committed adultery several times and has stolen millions of dollars from the church. If they go public with the information, millions of people will be hurt and many may leave the church for good. They confront the preacher, but he denies everything.

What would you do if you were Susan?

10. Mary met Omar, a graduate student from Iran, while studying at the university. They fell in love and married. After establishing themselves in their careers, they decided to have children. Mary, a devout Baptist, wants to raise the children as Christians and Omar, a devout Moslem, wants the children raised as Moslems. They decide to postpone having children until they resolve this disagreement.

How would you resolve this dispute?