The Ordeal at Sea: A Moral Dilemma
During the summer of 1884, a harrowing maritime tale unfolded when four English sailors, under the leadership of Captain Thomas Dudley, found themselves stranded at sea in a small lifeboat. Their ship had succumbed to a fierce storm, leaving them with a meager supply of only two cans of preserved turnips and no fresh water. As days passed, their provisions dwindled, and desperation set in. Among the crew was an orphaned boy named Richard Parker, who, against the advice of his companions, resorted to drinking seawater and fell gravely ill.
With their dire circumstances growing bleaker, Captain Dudley proposed a grisly solution – drawing lots to determine who among them would sacrifice their life to sustain the others. However, one crew member, Brooks, staunchly refused to entertain this idea. Undeterred, Dudley and Stephens conspired in secrecy. Dudley, in a moment of profound gravity, motioned to Stephens, signaling that Parker needed to be sacrificed for their survival. With a heavy heart, Dudley uttered a prayer and, armed with a penknife, took the life of the cabin boy. Eventually, Brooks overcame his conscientious objection and joined in consuming the gruesome sustenance.
For four agonizing days, the three men survived on the body and blood of young Parker until, at long last, rescue arrived in the form of a passing ship on the 24th day. Upon their return to England, the sailors openly admitted to the gruesome act, asserting it had been born out of sheer necessity.
Now, imagine you are the judge in this distressing moral quandary. To simplify matters, let’s set aside the legal considerations and focus solely on the moral aspect. Frequently, our moral judgments are shaped by our personal experiences, ethical convictions, and the moral framework through which we evaluate such dilemmas. However, for these judgments to stand the test of fairness, the moral framework itself must be rationally constructed.
Developing a reasoned moral framework necessitates having a range of options at our disposal, even those that may contradict prevailing moral norms. This moral reasoning lies at the core of Ethics, as it allows us to act against our instincts based on our conscience. It distinguishes us from mere predictors of events and empowers us to make judgments about what ought to transpire. Among all possible courses of action, which is the most virtuous? From the myriad of possibilities, which should we bring into reality? These are the questions that ethics endeavors to answer.