The Ethical Tightrope: Choosing Who Lives in a Crisis

Imagine you're the captain of an interstellar cargo transport, light-years from Earth, when two desperate distress calls pierce through the comms. On one side, the Telic 12, a labor ship carrying 30 workers, is rapidly losing oxygen. On the other, the Pareto, a luxury space cruiser filled with 20 college students, is hurtling towards a deadly asteroid field. You have time to save only one. What do you do?

This scenario plunges us into a complex ethical dilemma, forcing us to confront the value of life, the meaning of happiness, and the weight of our responsibilities. It's a situation where clear-cut answers are elusive, and every choice carries profound consequences.

Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number?

One of the most influential ethical frameworks for navigating such dilemmas is utilitarianism. Championed by philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, utilitarianism suggests that the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness. But how do we define and measure happiness?

• Hedonistic Approach: Focuses on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.
• Desire Fulfillment: Prioritizes actions that fulfill the most desires.

Applying utilitarianism to our space rescue scenario, saving the 30 workers on the Telic 12 would seemingly generate more happiness than saving the 20 students on the Pareto. However, the calculation doesn't end there.

The Question of Life Years

Should we consider the potential life years saved? If the students, with an average age of 20, have a longer life expectancy than the workers, with an average age of 45, saving the students could potentially yield more total years of happiness. This adds another layer of complexity to the utilitarian calculus.

Prioritizing the Worse Off: A Focus on Equity

Philosopher Derek Parfit argues that we should prioritize those who are worse off. This perspective suggests that providing benefits to disadvantaged groups holds greater moral weight than providing equivalent benefits to those who are already well-off.

In our scenario, the workers on the Telic 12, traveling far from home for service work, likely face more hardships and have fewer opportunities than the students vacationing on a luxury cruiser. This perspective would suggest that the workers are more deserving of rescue.

The Challenge of Defining