Life or Death Impact

[Shiny Star]

Taken from yourdictionary.com

Consider a situation in which a group of people are enjoying an outdoor adventure together. One person gets stuck in the only way in or out of an enclosed space, such as a cave. Water starts rising in the cave due to high tide or heavy rainfall. Everyone will perish if the person isn’t removed from the entrance. There is no way of removing the person who is stuck so that the individual will survive. 

• The group has to make an extremely difficult decision. Do they take an extreme action that will cost one member of the group her life? Or, do they do nothing, knowing that chances are good that none of them will survive if that choice of action is taken. 
  
• Who would be responsible for making such a decision? Is it different if the person who is stuck offers to sacrifice herself versus members of the group suggesting that she be eliminated? 
  
• What are the consequences of facing such an extreme moral dilemma? It is commonly accepted that killing a person is wrong, but what about when it’s done to save others?
  
• What might the consequences be for the survivors if the group chose to kill the person who is stuck so they might survive? Would there be legal consequences? What about guilt?
  

Source: https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/...l-dilemmas

I mean, I’m just going to say it, that person needs to be removed or pushed out one way or another. This reminds me of the scenario where you can choose to save more lives by pushing the lever on a train track but then that means you physically intervened and did something. 

But yeah, this is an extreme situation. I think the group could try talk and explain to the person quickly. Then if someone puts themselves forward to do it, do it, or everyone pushes them out together so then it’s a group effort and not one person can be blamed for it. Legally, it is a slippery slope but I feel like the group could either all lie about it or justify why they had to do what they had to do. I don’t think they should face legal consequences for it - but you can imagine the amount of therapy you would have to go through after experiencing something like this. This is life or death to save more lives, including your own, survival kicks in.

[Kyng]

Yeah, I'd push that person out - although, assuming I had time, I would try to talk it through with them first!

And yes, this is quite similar to the Trolley Problem (especially the 'fat man' version where the tram is stopped by pushing a fat man onto the tracks in front of it). And most people - myself included - would not push the fat man onto the track in that situation. So, what gives?

• First of all: it's implied (though not outright stated) that everyone will die if nothing is done - including the person who is stuck. Their life isn't really at stake here: they're a goner either way.
  
  
• Even if we ignore the above (or tweak the experiment so that the 'stuck' person survives), there's also the fact that your own life is at stake. In such a situation, where one's own survival is at risk, I think it's permissible to do things that would otherwise be considered immoral, if it's the only way to ensure one's own survival. Necessity is a defence here!
  

But yes, after doing that, I'd need an awful lot of therapy . I certainly wouldn't be going anywhere near any caves ever again!