An ethical trilemma for you.

Author: keithprosser

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keithprosser
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First up, I don't intend this to have a right answer.

Suppose you are the sole witness of an old lady getting mugged.  If you help the old lady the perp will escape.
Do you
a) help the old lady (who does not appear very badly hurt)
b) chase the perp (who you could easily overpower)
c) fudge the issue and give a complicated answer.
EtrnlVw
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@keithprosser
Help the old lady while getting a good look at the perpetrator, then call authorities with a good description. My reasoning would be that lets say I caught the perpetrator, maybe kicked his arse...how long do you think I could hold him there until the police were notified? meanwhile the old lady would be unattended and most likely, the perp would be someone who walks those streets regularly then getting a good description could prove useful. So I would most likely help the lady (choice A) and stay with her until the authorities arrived.
A couple more points to consider, what if the perp had a knife? or something..
What if you chased the perp, came back and the old lady was gone?

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@EtrnlVw
So c, then.

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@keithprosser
No, A. Read the first four words. If you thought that was complicated God help ya. 
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@keithprosser
If you help the old lady the perp will escape. Do you a) b) c)

We dont know what we will do. 

We can at best,  presuppose the correct actions, based on presupposed set of options we could take, and that is what your attempting to do.

Medical, ethical, moral actions are always being revised as new information comes in and a revaluations of correct actions and options becomes available via consideration of lines-of-relationhsip and those factors associated with each integrally considered, resultant set.


keithprosser
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@EtrnlVw
@Tejretics
@mustardness
I started thi thread because tejretic asked about care ethics.

A 'care ethicist' would prioritise assisting the victim; 'tradtional' ethics might prioritise 'justice' and prioritise catching the criminal.

Some people see 'care ethics' as more natural to/for women, which is why feminism enters into debates about care ethics.

The correct answer is c.

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@keithprosser
b.

Catching the perp would likely prevent future muggings. Also, getting the old lady's purse back would be a way of helping her.

25 days later

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@keithprosser
As a general rule, material possessions are less important than people, and I am not necessarily equipped to handle a hot headed individual with a mental disorder off the cuff so initially its sensible to prioritize the actual people I assume under my care (the perp is currently uncooperative, acting ably in their self interest, and strains my capacity) rather than their material possessions and allow the perp to continue their course of de-escalation which seems to be the best option available for taking control and ensuring safety among other priorities, and try to maintain situational awareness.  In this case, the old lady does not appear to badly hurt, but that is not yet confirmed, and she would know what she needs, or at least her immediate concerns, better than I do at this point. 


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@keithprosser
obviously you get out your pocket bazooka and bow them both up

in a real sense probably b (tbh idk how i would overpower anyone)
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@dave2242
Yeah, this mugger really needs to find a new line of work apparently.
Snoopy
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If its a goomba, just take some shrooms and jump on it
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@keithprosser
On a less random Side Note
**taking control and ensuring safety among other priorities, and try to maintain situational awareness.
Upon reading the answers here it looks like my sentence with "taking" was poorly edited, as it should read something akin to **gaining for what it was intended to convey.  

Keith, I think that what you are referring to as "traditional" is still in need of an appropriate reference in the context from which the ethics are being handed from.
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@Snoopy
the only reason you would think that robber is a gomba is because you did take shrooms

btw the reason i chose b is simaler to stronn's reasons just add that she did not appear to be badly hurt
i guess it mostly depends on how much i see and what i see
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@dave2242
Oh, you are right.  By that point you should already be twice as big, makes sense now