Ethics

1) You are speeding down the road homeward. You are in panic because you just heard on the radio that earthquake experts have detected an earthquake in the sea a few minutes ago. There’s a 99% chance that there will be a medium sized tsunami as a result. You are now about 5km away from the beach. Here, the tsunami will probably not strike so badly, but you are still in danger of drowning (even though you're a pretty good swimmer). When you pass a bus stop, you see three people waiting for the bus, not aware of the upcoming tsunami:

1. A pregnant woman, who cannot swim well in her condition.
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend, whom you love very much. He/she swims very well.
3. The person who once saved your life, who cannot swim at all.

There is only one extra seat in your car, what do you do?

 

2) A husband and his wife lived in a beautiful mansion on an island surrounded by a river outside of New York City. One day the husband had to go out to the city to attend to some business. Before leaving, he told his wife "Do not leave the mansion today or you will be severely punished."

As the husband went off to his days work, the wife changed clothes and prepared for a little journey of her own. The wife had a lover not far from the mansion. Despite the husband's warning, she could not resist such a perfect opportunity to spend the day with him.

So the wife went and laid with her lover during the afternoon and then returned to the mansion. When she reached the bridge to the mansion, she found a most unpleasant surprise. A madman was dancing around on the bridge waiving a sharp, very large knife and on seeing the wife proclaimed in a loud voice, "Do NOT cross this bridge woman, for my God has instructed me to stab and kill all of those who try." And the madman continued to dance back and forth with the vigilant eyes of a hound dog before a storm. There was little doubt that this man's insanity would lead him to follow through on his threat.

The wife now began to worry that she would not find a way back into the mansion before the husband arrived home. Off in the distance she spotted a ferryman. The wife ran over to the man and explained to him there was a madman on the bridge and that she needed passage into the mansion. The ferryman said that he would give her passage across the river for twenty dollars. The wife did not have twenty dollars and explained to the ferryman that if she did not get back into the mansion that she would be severely punished. The ferryman said, "I'm sorry madam, but I have a business to run here. The price for passage is twenty dollars."

Realizing that she was getting nowhere with the ferryman, the wife ran back to her lover's home. She explained the situation of the madman, her husband's approaching return, and the need for twenty dollars to gain passage from the ferryman. After hearing this tale of woe, the lover looked sympathetically at the Wife and simply said, "I'm sorry dear, but I cannot help you."

Flustered more now than before, the Wife ran straight to her best friend's home and told her in tears her tale. She told her friend the entire story of how she had gone to see her lover, how he wouldn't help her, about the madman, the her husband's warning, and the ferryman's requirement of twenty dollars that could get the Wife out of this mess. The friend listened quietly throughout the whole tale and afterwards cleared her throat saying, "I told you to stop messing around with that lover of yours. You have no one to blame for the situation that you are in but yourself. I will not help you."

The wife was now shocked and dismayed. She had no one else to turn to, and did not want to be severely punished for disobeying her husband. Not knowing what else to do, the Wife went back to the bridge. The madman looked as attentive and crazy as before, waiving his dagger with glee. He was still shouting warnings to others near the bridge not to try and cross. In desperation, the Wife ran across the bridge. The madman let out a wild scream on seeing this, chased the Wife down, and stabbed her to death.

(adapted from http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/simple/index.php/t10998.html)

Put in order from 1-6 who you believe is responsible for the wife' death

(1 being most responsible, 6 least):
the husband
the wife
the lover
the madman
the ferryman
the friend

Be ready to explain your decision.

After that, your table will have to come to an agreement on the order. Finally, we'll try to come to a class agreement.