Faced with a Moral Delimma

Devyn Crocker

Professor Henry

Philosophy 101

24 April, 2014

Faced With a Moral Dilemma

Sarah, a ten year old girl who enjoys playing by the train tracks, pulls a lever which changes the direction of an oncoming train and at the same time trapping herself between the tracks. Bill, a retired train engineer is a first responder to the situation and is Sarah’s only hope of survival. Bill is additionally faced with sacrificing the train passengers and letting them crash in to a ravine to save Sarah’s life. The Evil Hobo story parallels engineer Bill’s previous dilemma, however Sarah did not place herself in this situation. The Evil Hobo in this scenario ties Sarah up leaving her on the tracks, again Bill is faced with the responsibility of saving Sarah’s life rather than saving the train passengers on the train. Joe the janitor’s story is a moral dilemma as well, that matches the previous scenarios and further integrates the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology, whereas several lives hang in the balance and poses the sacrifice of one’s life to save many. I support the constraints view that relates to deontology and thresholds views that relates to utilitarianism, in which, allows the individual to refrain from causing harm to an innocent person even though causing harm to that person would produce a much greater amount of happiness. This concept requires Bill to attend to Sarah’s safety over and above the needs of the passenger’s on the train.

Sarah’s life was changed forever when she pulled the lever, not realizing the moral dilemma forced upon Bill as a result of her actions. The concepts of deontology and utilitarianism are ethical views based on actions that are right or wrong. Deontology allows an individual to understand that there are some times actions that are essentially right or wrong and tend to happen regardless of their consequences. Utilitarianism determines if actions are right or wrong on the basis of consequences and precisely on what outcome will produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In this situation Bill is confronted with, saving Sarah or saving a train that holds one hundred souls. Bill essentially has to make a decision on who will survive. In general terms of deontology and utilitarianism, Bill is required to sacrifice Sarah to produce the greater good for the greater number of people. If Bill proceeds with this approach, Sarah has caused harm to herself and Bill has allowed her to be harmed.

The application of constraints and thresholds on deontology and utilitarianism, respectively, prohibit Bill from taking Sarah’s life to prevent the imminent death of the passengers. Constraints is the view held  by deontologists that explains there are occasions where an individual is morally forbidden  or frowned upon from taking the life of an individual for the saving of others. Thresholds is a view held by utilitarian’s, in that, refrains them from causing harm to an innocent person even though by causing them harm it would produce a much greater amount of happiness for the greater amount of people. These modified views of the general ethical terms provide further guidance, as an example; Bill, a retired engineer who’s posed with Sarah’s immediate needs may apply the constraints of deontology and thresholds of utilitarianism to save her. The engineer who is driving the train has the same responsibility to his passengers as Bill has to Sarah and may apply the equivalent ethical methods.