Scenarios of Ethics

*You are on a boat and nearby are two large rocks filled with persons waiting to be rescued; there are five people on one rock and four on the other. Assume that you cannot rescue both groups and that you are the only one able to rescue either group. Which group do you rescue?

*Should the wealthier members of society be forced to pay through taxation, for the poorer members? If so, how much?

*You can only rescue one of each of the following, which do you save?

a) A child or an adult

b) A stranger or your dog

*You are on a country road and see two neighbouring farm houses on fire. One is yours and the other belongs to a new couple who just moved in. Your wife and child are at home as are your neighbours. You can only save one house. Which one do you save?

*You are waiting with a few other people to board a bus. The bus pulls up and before you can board the driver gets out and goes into the convenience store to get a coffee. You are the last to get on the bus. Do you pay your fare?

*You are shopping and notice a woman stuffing a pair of stockings into her purse. Do you report her?

What would you do? Is it ethically correct?

Not so Bad

Kind of Bad

Very Bad