A doctor must make a moral decision. He works in a hospital and has five deathly ill patients to look after. Each patient needs one organ to stay alive. A pizza delivery man enters the hospital. The delivery man is an organ match for all of the patients who are desperate and in need. The doctor considers using chloroform on the pizza delivery man, which is a toxic yet sweet-smelling liquid that changes into a vapor and causes unconsciousness when inhaled. The doctor could then cut the man up into parts in order to save the lives of his patients. There is a perceived low risk of being detected for murder. The doctor has a chance to take the life of one man in order to save five others, with little to no chance of being caught or incarcerated.
Should the doctor take a man's life in order to save the lives of five others- especially without consent and a low risk of allegations of crime, and punishment?
[...] Kant also describes the minority as those who do not use reason and fail to recognize the dignity of human beings. According to Kant, to get out of the minority state of mind one must think for oneself; society must allow free expression, as well as public and private displays of reason (Kant 17-18). Escaping the minority leads to incorporating the ideals of Kant's categorical imperative. The categorical imperative stresses universal law, humanity, autonomy, and pursuing the kingdom of ends (Kant 37-38). [...]
[...] Though, it is unfortunate that the patients are dying and are in dire need, it would be more tragic, according to Kant's ideals of the categorical imperative of humanity if the delivery man was used by the doctor as a sacrificial lamb for the health of his patients. Kant also says that the analysis of ethics is divided into two parts, one of which is the metaphysics of morals and the other is that of practical anthropology (Kant 7). Metaphysics of morals determines the concept of reason and pits the goodwill and reason against instinct and duty. [...]
[...] John Stuart Mill, 19th century English philosopher would criticize Kant's categorical imperative by saying that the concept of utilitarianism would promote the most happiness to the greatest amount of people (Mill 8). Kant says that humanity should be honored and that humans should act in universal law. Mill suggests that by applying the utilitarianism philosophy of promoting the most good to the greatest amount of people that the doctor would honorably create a solution to his dilemma. Mill would say that the doctor should kill the delivery man because in doing so he saves five others. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
