. In l 842, a ship struck an iceberg, and more than 30 survivors W!sle crew!were

Question

. In l 842, a ship struck an iceberg, and more than 30 survivors W!sle crew!were crowded into a lifeboat planned to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became clear that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive The captain reasoned that the right thing to do in this situation was to force some individuals to go over the side and drown (die). Such an action, he reasoned, was not unjust to those thrown overboardj ii, for they would have drowned anyway. If he did nothing, however, he would be responsible for the deaths of those whom he could have saved. Some people opposed the captain's decision. They claimed that if nothing were done and everyone died as a result, no one would be responsible for these deaths. On the other hand, if the captain attempted to save some, he could do so only by killing others and their deaths would be his responsibility; this would be worse than doing nothing and letting all die. The captain rejected this reasoning. Since the only possibility for rescue required great efforts of rowing he captain decided that the weakest would have to be sacrificed. In this situation it would be irrational, he thought, to decide by drawing lots who should be thrown overboard. As it turned out, after days of hard rowing, the survivors were rescued and the captain was judged for his action. Did the captain make the right decision? Why or why not? Which ethical theory or theories could be applied here? Ethics

Explanation / Answer

Ethics can be defined as the moral principles that govern a person's behaviour. The captain made the right decision here as his intention was to save atleast a few people. Utilitarianism theory can be applied in this case clearly, as we are well acquainted with the features of the different theories and according to this theory the greatest good for the greatest number of people is to be considered. Usually a decision is taken based on what will benefit the majority which would automatically harm the minority. Captain knew it well that it was impossible to save all the people so the best option would be to go ahead and save a few instead of saving none.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse #
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.