Moral Stories

Story 60

You are an electrician hired to fix an electrical problem in the home of a very wealthy tycoon who is terminally ill of cancer. Recently, it has been announced that upon his death, his enormous fortune will be donated to the local children's hospital. You know that there are 112 children at this hospital who could be saved with this money, but who cannot wait much longer before they die.

Question

Do you anticipate the donation by causing the tycoon's life support equipment to fail, so that the donation gets to the 112 ill children in time?

Majority Answer: No

Answer distribution over 25 people:

P(Yes): 0.16 P(No): 0.84

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: Impersonal