Answer to "What Would You Do?"-

by L. J. Williamson

>> 1. It's a cold winter day, there's ice and snow in the streets that have
>> been causing accidents, power outages and a variety of emergencies across
>> the city. Sirens are heard everywhere and you think to yourself "god"
>> must be playing with his ant farm. As you continue to walk home, with some
>> difficulty, you hear screams for help. You alter course and walk towards
>> the screams and you see a building with smoke pouring from the roof, and
>> fire coming from all of the windows. You make your way inside and see
>> the building is falling apart. Being the brave soul you are, you rush
>> towards the screaming and see a handicapped elderly man who's been
>> screaming, and an infant laying on the floor by his walker. Both need you
>> to help them out of the building, but it looks as if it will collapse at any
>> minute. The man is crying and saying "I don't want to die", the infant, is
>> laying there unaware of the chaos and danger in the surrounding environment.
>>
>>
>> After weighing your options and the environment around you, you realize you
>> can only save one. Who do you save?

To begin with, I probably wouldn't think that god was playing with his ant farm -- I would just think that the accidents were caused by people who were being hurried and careless and not giving the weather-related conditions the respect they deserve. As for the power outages, that's just mother nature reminding us who's boss, despite our attempts to pretend otherwise. But then again, since I live in Los Angeles and we're in a period of global warming, if I woke up to snow and ice-covered streets, maybe that would put the fear of god into me. It would take at least that much.

As for the quandary that's been presented, this isn't much of an ethical question, but more of a mechanical one. A baby that's young enough not to be troubled by smoke, flames, and a screaming old man can't possibly weigh very much. I'm guessing the baby would be no more than eight months old, so wouldn't be likely to weigh much more than fifteen or twenty pounds. If the old man is cognizant enough to be pleading for his life and also possesses the modest upper body strength needed to operate a walker, he could lie on his back and balance the baby on his chest while I grabbed him under the armpits and dragged them both to safety. Lookee me, I'm a hero.

| 04/27/07 | Practices