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Rape, Concentration Camps and the Trolley Problem
Situational Ethics on a Personal and Societal Level
I recently posted a moral problem on Facebook. Someone I thought was a friend became angry, called me a racist and blocked me.
What horrible sin did I commit?
I posted honestly. Here is what I wrote. You can read it and let me know what you think…
“Relative morality: It’s wrong to lie. But it’s worse to allow an innocent person to die, so of course you should lie to the Nazis about the Jew hiding in your basement. So far so good.
“But what if the Jew is not “innocent” — what if he’s a thief? What if he’s stolen from you personally? I would contend — you still lie. But what if he’s a murderer?”
“Yes, I am a weird person who thinks of this stuff sometimes before I have my coffee. And, just to clarify — it’s never OK to cooperate with Nazis.”
Looking over what I posted — other friends got where I was going. One buddy pointed out that it was basically a re-statement of the Trolley problem.
So why did I post this? To point out that there are shades of gray and life involves tough choices. And that a just law protects not just the innocent, but also the guilty.
