“Boat” Ethics
Okay this one is a reach but all the other “B”-related stuff is better utilized in other parts of the alphabet (yes I have it all planned) so today we are going to talk about what is technically called Lifeboat Ethics, appropriately abbreviated for the sake of consistency.
I like to think of lifeboat ethics as a way to conceptualize ethical dilemmas in general. Why think about ethics in the first place? Because in many cases it will not be immediately clear what the right decision is, and/or no option may be perfectly free of negative consequences.
Thinking about lifeboat ethics allows one to explore the various, broad aspects of moral decision-making and consider for themselves what matters.
So here’s the scenario… you are on a lifeboat stuck in the middle of the ocean. It becomes apparent that there is only enough food and water to support all but one of you, and the raft cannot support the weight of all of you either. Long story short: somebody gotta go if anybody wanna live.
The general question is this: if faced with the decision to deliberately kill one person to save the life of several others, does the good of the many outweigh the good of the few/one? Does the end justify the means?
We could argue about that for hours, right? On the one hand, if you throw someone overboard, you’ve saved a lot more people than you’ve harmed. Good, right? But on the other hand, if you don’t do anything, at least you aren’t literally culpable for someone’s death. You haven’t violated any rights. If anybody (all of you) dies, it’s the lifeboat’s fault, not a moral agent’s. Dilemma!!!!
But consider this—in the real world, to throw or not to throw is a way bigger decision that. Consider the lifeboat’s companions are you, Kourtney, Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Kourtney’s baby, and your great grandmother. The stakes change, huh.
Suddenly the following issues become relevant:
- Does it matter whether the person you throw overboard is a ‘good person’?
- What if they are a wife or a mother… does the fact that they have family make them more worthy of living?
- Does a child deserve to live because it is ‘innocent’ and has the whole world ahead of it? Or what about an older person, who has many dependent family members?
- Do you get to change your mind based on your personal feelings towards the person?
- Should you just draw straws?
- Should you throw yourself overboard so you don’t have to decide?
- Should you chance it and hope Kim can survive without food by her body absorbing her ass fat?
Would you throw someone overboard? If so, would would you pick and why?
