国外道德困境案例

1、伦理困境伦理困境也被称为也被称为 道德悖道德悖论论，是指陷于几个道德命令，是指陷于几个道德命令之间的明显冲突，如果遵守之间的明显冲突，如果遵守其中一项，就将违犯另一项其中一项，就将违犯另一项的情形。的情形。Trolley problem电车难题 这是一个伦理学的思想实验。其大致内容是：假设一辆有轨电车失去控制，即将撞上前面的5个人，这时可以通过搬动道岔来避免该事故，但另外一条岔道上却有1个人，那么，是否可以通过牺牲这一个人的生命而拯救另外五个人？ 此难题可以变化，如一条岔道有一人，另外一条可以改成更多人或更少人，另外五人可以改成罪犯。The Overcrowded Lifeboat In 18

2、42, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the right thing to do in this situation was to force som

3、e individuals to go over the side and drown. Such an action, he reasoned, was not unjust to those thrown overboard, for they would have drowned anyway. If he did nothing, however, he would be responsible for the deaths of those whom he could have saved. Some people opposed the captains decision. The

4、y claimed that if nothing were done and everyone died as a result, no one would be responsible for these deaths. On the other hand, if the captain attempted to save some, he could do so only by killing others and their deaths would be his responsibility; this would be worse than doing nothing and le

5、tting all die. The captain rejected this reasoning. Since the only possibility for rescue required great efforts of rowing, the captain decided that the weakest would have to be sacrificed. In this situation it would be absurd, he thought, to decide by drawing lots who should be thrown overboard. As

6、 it turned out, after days of hard rowing, the survivors were rescued and the captain was tried for his action. If you had been on the jury, how would you have decided?A Fathers Agonizing Choice You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape

7、 and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you dont he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You dont have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?Sophies Choice, not in GrassianIn the novel Sophies Choice, by William Styron,

8、a Polish woman, Sophie Zawistowska, is arrested by the Nazis and sent to the Auschwitz death camp. On arrival, she is honored for not being a Jew by being allowed a choice: One of her children will be spared the gas chamber if she chooses which one. In an agony of indecision, as both children are be

9、ing taken away, she suddenly does choose. They can take her daughter, who is younger and smaller. Sophie hopes that her older and stronger son will be better able to survive, but she loses track of him and never does learn of his fate. Did she do the right thing? Years later, haunted by the guilt of

10、 having chosen between her children, Sophie commits suicide. Should she have felt guilty?The Fat Man and the Impending DoomA fat man 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 he is unstuck, they will

11、 all be drowned except the fat man, whose head is out of the cave. But, fortunately, or unfortunately, someone has with him a stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the fat man loose without using that dynamite which will inevitably kill him; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. What

12、 should they do?Since the fat man is said to be leading the group, he is responsible for their predicament and reasonably should volunteer to be blown up. The dilemma becomes more acute if we substitute a pregnant woman for the fat man. She would have been urged by the others to go first out of the

13、cave.A Poisonous Cup of Coffee Tom/Jane, hating his/her wife/husband and wanting her/him dead, puts poison in her/his coffee, thereby killing her/him. Joe/Debbie also hates his/her wife/husband and would like her/him dead. One day, Joes/Debbies wife/husband accidentally puts poison in her/his coffee

14、, thinking its cream. Joe/Debbie has the antidote, but he/she does not give it to her/him. Knowing that he/she is the only one who can save her/him, he/she lets her/him die. Is Joes/Debbies failure to act as bad as Toms/Janes action?The Value of a Promise A friend confides to you that he has committed a particular crime and you promise never to tell. Discovering th