A. Carefully analyze, clearly identify and thoroughly discuss the central moral issue of the case below. B. Clearly and systematically identify your main position/argument regarding the ethical issue using the Utilitarian Theory.
Directions:
A. Carefully analyze, clearly identify and thoroughly discuss the central moral issue of the case below.
B. Clearly and systematically identify your main position/argument regarding the ethical issue using the Utilitarian Theory.
Moral Case: “Don’t Help Me!”
Tom is a sophomore at a prestigious high school. He comes from a low-income household and is the first member of his family to attend college. During his freshman year, Tom did well academically and socially, though he sometimes consumed alcohol at parties, and he was twice cited by the school for drinking in the dorms. Going into his sophomore year, Tom already had “two strikes”: One more citation for underage drinking on school property and he would lose his scholarship.
During the semester, Tom and his friend Kevin are drinking at a party in a university-owned apartment. Tom, dancing merrily, accidentally smashes a glass bottle and badly cuts his hand. Bleeding profusely, Tom begins to feel lightheaded and wobbly. Concerned for his friend and beginning to panic, Kevin reaches for his phone to call for help. But Tom pleads, “Just bandage me up as best you can—if you call for help the school will find out I’ve been drinking and I’ll lose my scholarship! I’ll go to the health center tomorrow morning and everything will be fine.”
Kevin is uneasy with this plan. He’s not trained to clean and bandage a wound and doesn’t want to be responsible for Tom sustaining a serious, permanent injury. On the other hand, Tom insists that the decision to seek help is not Kevin’s to make. Tom says that he’s willing to risk his health in order to avoid getting kicked out of school and compromising his future. By calling an ambulance, Kevin might be changing Tom’s life forever.
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