Short Paper Assignment: Lifeboat Problem

Thinking back on the Virtual Philosopher, look again at the lifeboat problem:

You are on a lifeboat with 11 people (including yourself) aboard. The water surrounding the lifeboat is freezing and no one can survive it. There is no rescue ship in sight and, worse yet, the lifeboat is sinking. You notice that there is a sign posted on the lifeboat that says, "Capacity of this boat is 10 normal-sized people." Looking around the boat, there are 10 normal-sized people and one 400-pound man. No one wants to jump out of the boat and if nothing is done it will sink, leaving 11 people to die.

You can:

a. Push the 400-pound man out of the boat to save everyone else (achieving the greater good)

OR

b. Refuse to push the 400-pound man out of the boat and hope for a miracle.

Using the theories that you learned this week, write a two-page paper on your decision followed by the theory(s) that you used and why. Make sure you use in-paragraph citations and reference the text.