wife has to go out to work to keep them, which itself causes a great deal of str
ID: 460885 • Letter: W
Question
wife has to go out to work to keep them, which itself causes a great deal of strain, since they have small children and there are severe problems about looking after them. The results of all this, especially on the children, are damaging. An older chemist, who knows about this situation, says that he can get George a decently paid job in a certain laboratory, which pursues research into chemical and biological warfare. George says that he cannot accept this, since he is opposed to chemical and biological warfare. The older man replies that he is not too keen cm it himself, come to that, but after all George's refusal is not going to make the job or the laboratory go away; what is more, he happens to know that if George refuses the job. it will certainly go to a contemporary of George's who is not inhibited by any mu Ch scruples and is likely if appointed to push along the research with greater zeal than George would. Indeed, it is not merely concern lot George and his family, but (to speak frankly and in confidence) some alarm about this other man's excess of zeal, which has led the older man to offer to use his influence to get George the job... George's wife, to whom he is deeply attached, has views (the details of which need not concern us) from which it follows that at least there is nothing particularly wrong with research into CBW. What should he do? Jim finds himself in the central square of a small South American town. Tied up against the wall are a row of twenty Indians, most terrified, a few defiant, in front of them several armed men in uniform. A heavy man in a sweat-stained khaki shirt turns out to be the captain in charge and. attar a good deal of questioning of Jim which establishes that he got there by accident while on a botanical expedition. explains that the Indians are a random group of the inhabitants who. after recent acts of protest against the government, are just about to be killed to remind other possible protestors of the advantages of not protesting. However, since Jim is an honored visitor from another land, the captain is happy to offer him a guest's privilege of killing one of the Indians himself. If Jim accepts, then as a special mark of the occasion, the other Indians will be let off. Of course, if Jim refuses, then there is no special occasion, and Pedro here will do what he was about to do when Jim arrived, and kill them all. Jim. with some desperate recollection of schoolboy fiction, wonders whether if he got hold of a gun. he could hold the captain. Pedro and the rest of the soldiers to threat, but it is quite clear from the set-up that nothing of that kind is going to work: any attempt at that sort of thing will mean that all the Indians will be killed, and himself. The men against the wall, and the other villagers, understand the situation, and are obviously begging him to accept. What should he do? Based on the previous readings in this chapter, how would a utilitarian respond to these cases? likewise. how would a non-utilitarian? How docs personal integrity play a role in the decisions of each of these men? What other considerations must be dealt with in pondering these cases?Explanation / Answer
In both the cases, the inner conflict of both George and Jim are the same. They can either do something that is against their personal integrity, or proceed with utilitarian decision – i.e. to do the action that results in greater good for everyone. Utilitarianism and personal integrity are at odds with each other in both the cases, and it would be up to individual’s level of acceptance of the consequences that would decide the eventual action.
In case of George, if he does not accept the job, someone more enthusiastic would take it up and in effect is only taking forward the war research forward in much faster pace. Means, he would indirectly help in growth of CBW if he decides to hold on to his integrity. In the case of Jim, all the twenty people would die if he decides to not execute one instead. In both the cases, the individual’s integrity can be compromised based on larger good.
In both the cases, holding on to their integrity seems to be resulting in only bad happening to the world around them. In larger sense, this is only resulting in actions happening around them that they do not approve off, as a result of them not doing something that they don’t approve off. In any case, both the individuals have to deal with reality of the world, that there is not exact black and white situations. It’s all dependent on how best one can live with the decisions they make based on the situations they go through.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.