Moral Stories
Story 53
You are on the night watch in a hospital. A chemical product has been spilled in a room with six patients. This chemical is highly toxic because once exposed to oxygen it evaporates and transforms into a poisonous gas which will kill all the patients in the room. You cannot wipe it away with conventional towels or wiping clothes. However, human skin absorbs it swiftly.
Question
Do you prevent the toxic evaporation placing one of the patients on the chemical, so the other five patients won't be poisoned?
Majority Answer: No
Answer distribution over 25 people:
Is Ambiguous: False
Factor
These are the factors and their attributes present in this story.
Beneficiary: Other-beneficial
Causal Role: Means
Evitability: Inevitable
Personal Force: Personal