Ethical dilemma time. If by killing one person you could save hundreds, thousands, or maybe just one that you care about, could you do it?
2006-07-13 09:41:02 · 43 answers · asked by barrytabrah 3 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
If it means I'd have to do it personally, if I was 100% certain it was the right thing to do and I could do it by an injection or something relatively painless, maybe i could. But what if the person to be killed was me????????????????
2006-07-13 09:45:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a very utilitarian question. Is this one person doing something that he should not be doing? Is he threatening the group? If he is not, then no, I would not kill an innocent human to save a hundred.
Now, if this one was holding a gun on them or had a time bomb, I'd shoot him right through the heart with my 300 magnum and not blink and eye nor shed a tear.
It simply all depends upon what the one individual was doing; whether or not he was threatening the rest, or if he was to be treated as some sacraficial guinea pig.
Murdering an innocent man is never justified.
2006-07-13 10:17:58 · answer #2 · answered by rlw 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ethical dilemma here is how would I know that killing this ONE specific individual would save so many lives? How do I know this will NOT result in having to kill ANOTHER specific individual who may also be "in on it", or another group of individuals ... and how I know this SPECIFIC individual is guilty as accused? I am not the judge, jury and executioner. Everybody has a right to be assumed innocent until they are proven guilty, and then if so, dealt with by the law.
2006-07-13 11:40:07 · answer #3 · answered by Angela B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How could you be sure killing one person could save many lives? And who gave you the right to kill anyway. I mean what are we talking here.....if you knew adolf hitler as a child and what he would do as a man...would you kill the child? And if you did...is it not possible someone even worse could replace him?
If you asked would you give up your own life to save hundreds or thousands, that I think may be a different matter.
2006-07-13 09:48:01 · answer #4 · answered by wheresthedoobrey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally I don't think that by killing one you 'll save the group because killing one is like you destroying the group. To be in a group means that everyone take part so by left someone behind is just like leaving the group behind
2006-07-13 09:47:33 · answer #5 · answered by Roulla P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no situation, assuming the people involved don't deserve to die, when killing one person is worse than letting more than one die. Especially considering in many of those situations that person would die anyway along with the group.
So yes, I wouldn't like it, but I'd have to, and I'd hope I'd be able to do it with a clear conscience.
In my opinion anyone who couldn't would be a coward, unless it was their mother or wife etc, in which case it would be understandable, but still not right.
2006-07-13 09:55:18 · answer #6 · answered by AndyB 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the excuse the USA gave for dropping the atom bombs on Japan - they killed hundreds of thousands of civilians to bring World War II to an end.
2006-07-17 09:11:11 · answer #7 · answered by blondie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If that one person was the reason that hundreds would die, say he was a bomber or was holding people hostage, then yes, I could kill that one person to save them.
But if that one person were just an innocent person, who would be sacrificed to save the rest, I don't know....don't think I could in that circumstance.
2006-07-13 09:50:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes and I could kill a group to save an individual.
2006-07-13 09:44:52 · answer #9 · answered by Bill 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely; no problem whatsoever; in fact I wouldn't need much of an excuse. What that says about me I don't know. On the other hand, if I step on an insect, or see someone killing a bee for example, I get very upset....
2006-07-13 10:55:58 · answer #10 · answered by emjay1212001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋