Ethical Dilema (Essay Sample)

Ethical Dilemma
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Human life and living in the world is made possible and desirable by the sacrifices that are made each day. In every situation, there are options available and no situation has proved so mean as to have only one option (Sober, 2001). The consequences of any action taken by the train driver seem to be enormous hence careful decision-making should be undertaken since regardless of which way the train is directed there will be the loss of at least one life. Turning to the left will be the best option in this scenario since only one life will be lost.
The dilemma the train driver is encompassed in calls for the weighing of the moral options available and the consequences that will come with the choosing of any moral value. Among the moral values available to the train driver there also raises moral obligations by virtue of his/her job. The train driver/engineer has the responsibility of making sure the prisoners don’t escape from the train. Secondly, the train driver has obligations of keeping all the prisoners alive and to deliver them to the next security prison assigned. Thirdly, the train driver has to take an action based on the view of majority good hence personal will should not be considered, in this case the sparing of the girl on the track and trying to stop the train are obvious actions one will take before putting the majority picture into perspective (Sober, 2001). Utilitarian thinking asks for the creation of happiness for many people and reduction of pain in many people.
Options available in the case in question are three, but only two may save significant numbers of people from death. Turning to the right will force the train off the track upon impact with the horse that will result in loss of few lives. Turning to the left will kill the college girl stuck to the rails. The other available option is that of stopping the train that will lead to the death of all persons aboard.
The saving of the passengers on the train is a priority since they are many compared to the losing of girl’s life on the track. If the driver of the train takes the split to the right there will be many fatalities and possible escape of other prisoners in the event. The prisoners in the case for consideration are being transported to a high-security prison hence there eminent hazardous impacts to the community if they escape. The reason of transfer from the low-security prison might probably be that the prisoners can easily escape from custody in the previous low-security prison, hence transferring them to a high-security prison. Any slight escape opportunity presented will be fully exploited by the prisoners.
Turning of the train to the right will lead to loss of many lives aboard and injure several prisoners but the life of the college girl on the track will be spared. Stopping the train will kill almost all detainees on board but still saving the life of the college girl on the runway. The train is carrying inmates who will exploit any escape opportunity availed to them. If the train turns to the right, there is a high possibility that a few prisoners will escape after the event of crushing with the horse cart and getting off the track by the train. Primarily the prisoners are being held since they are a danger to a great number of people in the free world (Mill, 2010).
A utilitarian faced with the situation, in this case, will turn the train to the right and kill the college girl on the track. Utilitarianism has the principle of achieving happiness for the vast majority of people (Mill, 2010). The turning of the train to the left will lead to happiness for the great majority of persons in the scenario and the society. Conversely, a person of Kantianism ideals will try stopping the train. Kant seeks the justification for moral action in duty for its sake, unlike the utilit...