HU223 Professional Ethics

Assignment 1

Sara Imdad Mohammadzai

BESE10A

289446

In this dilemma, like all other dilemmas, there is a lack of information about these people, so
it is difficult to evaluate the importance or worth of one person’s life compared to another
person on the ship.

In situations like this i.e., emergencies, no sane person stands there and evaluates the worth of
each life; there is no time for that. There is also not enough time for democracy, so voting on
who should get on the boat would not be a practical solution. Additionally, if one person
arrives at the place where people are getting on the boat, you cannot or should not stop them
from getting on it as some other person might deserve to live more than them. First-come
first-serve should be considered.

For the sake of this assignment, I will assume all ten people came at the same time, all
wanted to get on the boat and did not want to sacrifice their own life, and I had enough time
to pick and choose. So, taking just the single line descriptions into consideration, following
are the people who I would save or leave behind as the captain of the ship along with my
reasons.

1. Woman who is six weeks pregnant:

Not only because of the Birkenhead Drill – “women and children first” – that I would save
this woman first, but also because she is carrying an unborn child. Leaving her behind would
be equal to leaving two souls behind as the baby most likely has a heartbeat.

2. Lifeguard:

Lifeguards are trained well enough for dangerous situations in the water. So, the lifeguard
would be useful on the journey to the shore in case anything happens.
 3. Two young adults who recently got married:

The two young adults both have to be saved or left behind. Separating them would break their
hearts and Titanic 2 would be released in the years after, so although they are looking
forward to a future together and have planned out their lives, I would, sadly, leave them
behind. It would be more romantic if they died together than if they were to survive and live
their lives together.

4. Senior citizen who has fifteen grandchildren:

The senior has lived his life and has probably accomplished all his life goals. As he already
has fifteen grandchildren, there is a high probability that he has nothing to look forward to
besides death. Because of these reasons, I would leave him behind.

5. Prominent professor at a university:

The prominent university professor has a lot to offer to the future generations. He is a
“utility”, and I would be taking away a source of knowledge from the world if I left him to
die. Since he is a “prominent” professor, he must be smart enough to know how to navigate
the boat so, he would be useful in that sense too.

6. Thirteen-year-old twins:

Like the couple, the two twins cannot be separated either. In addition to the Birkenhead Drill
– “women and children first” - I would get them on the boat because they are just teenagers
and have not done most of the things they want to do in life. They are also valuable assets of
a nation and will contribute a lot to the society in the future.

7. Veteran surgeon:

The veteran surgeon, like the prominent professor is skilled and offers a lot to the society. I
would be taking away a valuable and skilled person from the world; a person who saves lives
and helps other people by make their lives better and easier.

8. Captain of the ship:

As a tradition, a captain is honor-bound to save all the people on a sinking ship and cannot
abandon the site unless all the people are saved – “the captain goes down with the ship”.
Because of this, it would be unethical if the captain abandoned the ship, leaving four people
behind to drown. For this reason, as a captain, I would not go on the boat.
To conclude, the people who I would save are: pregnant woman, lifeguard, prominent
university professor, twins, and veteran nurse.