Moral Stories
Story 27
You are a Peace Corps health-worker who is volunteering in a rural African village. A man from a nearby village has been infected with the Ebola virus that is extremely contagious, incurable, and almost always deadly. Unexpectedly, this man is still alive which means he must be immune to the virus' deadly consequences. However, he wrongly believes that your health center can cure his disease completely. You see him approaching and you know that if he enters the village he will pass the virus to 119 innocent people who, unlike him, will die.
Question
Do you prevent the man from entering the village by shooting him, so he won't spread the virus to you and the 119 people of the village?
Majority Answer: Yes
Answer distribution over 25 people:
Is Ambiguous: False
Factor
These are the factors and their attributes present in this story.
Beneficiary: Self-beneficial
Causal Role: Means
Evitability: Avoidable
Personal Force: Personal