Hypothetical ethics question

[IronWing]

You are sitting on a crowded airplane flying across the Atlantic enroute to the World Cup. The plane is full of sports fans so you know these folks are going to be headed for the games. You have in your hand a shampoo bottle (under 3oz in size of course). In the bottle is an airbourne virus. The virus' only effect is to cause sterility in women. No side effects. The virus spreads very easily from human to human and the sterility rate for infected women is 95-100%.

The virus has a short shelf life. If you leave it in the bottle the virus die by the time the plane lands.

Do you open the bottle?

 

[FoBoT]

why would anyone open the bottle? what does it have to do with ethics?

 

[KillerCharlie]

uhhhh... what?

 

[crt1530]

DIAF

 

[WisMan]

Where is 'OP is an idiot' option?

 

[tfinch2]

This must be one of those things that sounds good in your head, but not so much when you actually convey it to others.

 

[Greenman]

There is no moral or ethical issue there, and the fact that you even need to ask the question troubles me. How could anyone not know the right answer?

 

[FleshLight]

The moral question here is whether you value the sterility of a European city over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells.

 

[AbAbber2k]

I wish I could reach through my monitor and slap the OP.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: FleshLight
The moral question here is whether you value the sterility of a European city over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells.

No, the point of the World Cup trip is that the virus will spread all over the globe very rapidly.

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Take it you got something against World Cup fans?

 

[wahoyaho]

Originally posted by: FleshLight
The moral question here is whether you value the sterility of a European city over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells.

More like infinite number of lives over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: FleshLight
The moral question here is whether you value the sterility of a European city over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells.

No, the point of the World Cup trip is that the virus will spread all over the globe very rapidly.

So effectively, you're bringing conception to a screeching halt, all over the globe. To what end?

 

[Trevelyan]

Okay, ethical dilemma here. You're sitting on an airplane, and the flight is very long. Do you kill everyone on the plane, or wait until the nurse comes back with my medication?

 

[FleshLight]

Originally posted by: sixone

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: FleshLight
The moral question here is whether you value the sterility of a European city over the lives of 5,000,000 viral cells.

No, the point of the World Cup trip is that the virus will spread all over the globe very rapidly.

So effectively, you're bringing conception to a screeching halt, all over the globe. To what end?

Over the lives of 5,000,000 or so unsentient viral cells. But who knows what those viral cells could be? They could even be 5,000,000 babies!

 

[natto fire]

Is there shampoo in the bottle too? My hair is kind of dirty.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Wouldn't that eventually end the human species? No dilemma there.

Let the virus die. As a member of the human species why would any human choose otherwise?

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: Trevelyan
Okay, ethical dilemma here. You're sitting on an airplane, and the flight is very long. Do you kill everyone on the plane, or wait until the nurse comes back with my medication?

Depends. Are you in first class or coach? Oh, and do they have kosher meals?

 

[AaronB]

I think the point of this is that some people would like to see the human race removed from this planet or downsized considerably. If you think the point of the question has anything to do with saving a virus you are mistaken.


Edit: It's a stupid question BTW. You are effectively talking about whether it is ethical to wipe out the human race entirely. That you would even consider this to be a question is disturbing.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: AaronB
Edit: It's a stupid question BTW.

Well I'm going to assume it's stupid until he tells me why it's not. OP?

I wonder why this would be a dilemma at all. What is to be gained by essentially castrating the human race?

 

[FeuerFrei]

I've been in that situation a few times. Each time I neglect to open the bottle. You're welcome.

 

[RadioHead84]

wtf

Unless you are so fed up with the human race and want it to fail completely then why would anyone want this to happen?

 

[SmoochyTX]

Anybody here work for Homeland Security?

 

[sao123]

hes proposing mass sterilization because of world overpopulation...

which is about the most moronic thing ive ever heard of...

go take your license to reproduce crap and just darwinize yourself.

 

[sniperruff]

i'd just use the damn thing to shampoo my hair. i need my hair to smell fresh and clean thank you.