Solving a ethical dilemma thought experiment about choices?

2016-12-10 5:35 am
A rescue team receives a 911 call from a beach warden about 8 swimsuit-clad kids, aged 10-12, are trapped in mud at seaside mudflats while straying off to go for a swim in the sea and play in the treacherous mudflats. The rescue team authorizes the use of the helicopter to rescue the kids from the mudflats, however there is catch to rescuing them:

- The tide comes in 30 minutes, to reach the trapped kids require 15 minutes to reach and 15 minutes to return to base.
- The helicopter can only carry three casualties which means five children will be left, trapped in mud sludge, suffering from hypothermia and drowned when the tide comes.
更新1:

1. Milton, age 12: Buried up to his shoulders, his muddy hands are free, now struggling to free himself. 2. Andrea, age 12: Waist-deep in mud, trying to set her legs free while being unbalanced and suffering from hypothermia. 3. Jack, age 11: He is covered in mud, trying to walk back to shore but is futile because his feet keeps getting trapped in sinking mud. 4. Wanda, age 10: In extreme hypothermia, wet and shivering trying to struggle from the mud that she is trapped.

更新2:

5. Nicholas, age 11: Is in dire need of medical attention due to hypothermia and covered in mud from being buried and trapped to his neck. 6. Reagan, age 12: She is stuck up to her waist, she is the closest to the water and the rising tide that is coming towards her first. 7. Waldemar, age 10: Trapped with his sister, trying to help each other get out of the deep quicksand-like mud, often sinking back each time.

更新3:

8. Camilla, age 10: Like her brother, she is suffering from hypothermia and struggling to escape from the quicksand-like dark sludge with her brother. My answer is to take Milton, Andrea and Jack. What is your solution?

回答 (4)

2016-12-10 6:14 am
✔ 最佳答案
Milton, Jack, and Reagan.

These are the only ones that are not suffering from hypothermia and therefore have the best chance of survival after rescue. The ones that are suffering from hypothermia could be rescued and then die before reaching a hospital or even during treatment.

If five will definitely die no matter what, then I would rescue the healthiest that have the strongest chance at living. It's a horrible choice but I can't think of anything else to base the decision on.
2016-12-10 9:33 pm
So, what's the dilemma? You do what you can.
2016-12-10 6:40 am
This is not ethics. It's triage and rescue procedure.
2016-12-10 6:14 am
All the ones that are stuck will become unstuck when the water comes in (or you can unstick them from the helicopter while your are there). Give them blankets, life jackets and rafts, rescue the ones that are already Hypothermic, and come back for the (living) floaters.

If that's not possible, triage philosophy is to select the three most likely to survive after the rescue.

收錄日期: 2021-04-23 23:56:17
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