# Moral Dilemma



## Julian (Mar 17, 2011)

Found this somewhere, thought is was pretty cool. You might have already heard of it.

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and see three people waiting for the bus: 

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die. 
2. An old friend who once saved your life. 
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about. 

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

*Think carefully before clicking the spoiler.*


Spoiler



This is a moral and ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. 

You could pick up the old lady because she is going to die and thus you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again. 

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams".

Sometimes we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to think outside of the box.


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## Logan (Mar 17, 2011)

I just heard this somewhere.



Spoiler



[haven't read the spoiler yet]
Give your car to the friend, and have him/her drive the old lady to the hospital.
F*ck the dream girl in the rain.


[after reading the spoiler]
I supose you could just wait for the bus with the dream girl too  but thats no fun.


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## Meep (Mar 17, 2011)

I remember hearing this from my mom ~10 years ago. =P


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## AustinReed (Mar 17, 2011)

If I was Rebecca Black, I would be more concerned trying to pick seats for them.


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## Zane_C (Mar 17, 2011)

Leave them all, they can wait for the bus.


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## Julian (Mar 17, 2011)

Meep said:


> I remember hearing this from my mom ~10 years ago. =P


Lol, I had no idea it was THAT old 



Zane_C said:


> Leave them all, they can wait for the bus.


I know, right? I got places to go.


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## Dene (Mar 17, 2011)

What the hell is the old lady doing waiting for a bus? Don't you have emergency services where you live?


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## goatseforever (Mar 17, 2011)

hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


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## Magix (Mar 17, 2011)

Can't think outside the box, the question limits us to one of the three options. Unless there's a small whited out "give away the car" option, you are only allowed to choose from the original three. 

And I would choose to go for the old friend.

Maybe you could go for the whole giving away the car thing if the question was "What would you do?", but you're clearly asked which one of the three would you choose.


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## amostay2004 (Mar 17, 2011)

Spoiler



Let your old friend drive the old lady to the hospital, and you wait for the bus together with your dream partner


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## Julian (Mar 17, 2011)

Dene said:


> What the hell is the old lady doing waiting for a bus? Don't you have emergency services where you live?


I didn't write this 



Magix said:


> Can't think outside the box, the question limits us to one of the three options. Unless there's a small whited out "give away the car" option, you are only allowed to choose from the original three.
> 
> And I would choose to go for the old friend.
> 
> Maybe you could go for the whole giving away the car thing if the question was "What would you do?", but you're clearly asked which one of the three would you choose.


I see your point, but I sort of disagree. It allows you to offer one person a ride, and in the given solution, you do, just in a creative way.


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## qqwref (Mar 17, 2011)

Magix said:


> Can't think outside the box, the question limits us to one of the three options. Unless there's a small whited out "give away the car" option, you are only allowed to choose from the original three.


Yeah, I gotta agree with this. The question says "bring one person into the car", not "think of a creative way to help everyone at once". If you think so far out of the box that you consider a possibility that's forbidden in the question statement, you invalidate the whole point of the question, which was that you had to make a decision.

My solution was gonna be


Spoiler



get the contact info for the perfect partner, before driving the old lady to the hospital. Should be easy to get in touch with the old friend later on.


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## AustinReed (Mar 17, 2011)

We had this one in English this year:

A pregnant woman leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide will be upon them, and unless she is unstuck, they will all be drowned except the woman, whose head is out of the cave. Fortunately, (or unfortunately,) someone has with him a stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman loose without using the dynamite which will inevitably kill her; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. What should they do?


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## alkanova (Mar 17, 2011)

If taking your friend is considered as a payback for him saving your life, then staying there at the bus stop is dangerous because of the weather (Plus, the bus might not come at all, especially if it gets worse), and you are telling me that you are just gonna let yourself get killed with your perfect partner (oh how romantic -_-). 

This is not a dilemma at all: your friend saved your life once, he won't mind giving more (who would save someone and then get between him and his perfect partner, only a person who wants you to live and suffer in misery, then if he wants that he doesn't deserve the ride anyway); the old lady lived her life, you shouldn't really trade what's —most probably— going to be many years of happiness with your partner (and even if not many, just your most happy moments in life) for what's going to me most likely just a few years of her living maybe even in pain .__. . Just take your perfect partner, and if she/he starts b!tching about how you left your friend and the old lady to die, she/he ain't your perfect partner after all! Mistakes happen, you got the wrong person *kicked out*. You go home, before the weather gets any worse.


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## IamWEB (Mar 17, 2011)

AustinReed said:


> We had this one in English this year:
> 
> A pregnant woman leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide will be upon them, and unless she is unstuck, they will all be drowned except the woman, whose head is out of the cave. Fortunately, (or unfortunately,) someone has with him a stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman loose without using the dynamite which will inevitably kill her; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. What should they do?


 
Spoiler? 


Spoiler



If she is stuck, how can the water get in to drown them all?


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## Zane_C (Mar 17, 2011)

Water involved you say? If that's the case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrHL4l4pmEw


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## DeCubeRob (Mar 17, 2011)

i would drive along, 
because:
1. the perfect partner doesn't exist,
2. everyone dies.
3. a friend who saved me? not encountered yet lol

so none, i'll drive till i reach destination.


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## Edward (Mar 17, 2011)

I can't assume the old lady is dying. That would be insulting D:
I can stop and chat to the friend.
Get my girl.


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## Ordos_Koala (Mar 17, 2011)

DeCubeRob said:


> i would drive along,
> because:
> 1. the perfect partner doesn't exist,
> 2. everyone dies.
> ...


 
so you're gonna let the woman die just because she'll die anyway maybe in 10 years? And that somene didn't save you yet doesn't mean, that you won't need his help someday later... and how can you know, that perfect partner doesn't exist, if everytime you see potential one, you'll just drive along?


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## Dene (Mar 17, 2011)

qqwref said:


> Yeah, I gotta agree with this. The question says "bring one person into the car", not "think of a creative way to help everyone at once". If you think so far out of the box that you consider a possibility that's forbidden in the question statement, you invalidate the whole point of the question, which was that you had to make a decision.


 
Yes exactly; it is hardly fair for them to change the rules of the question.

Not only that, but in a practical situation where moral decisions have to be made on a regular basis, i.e. in a hospital, there are no easy solutions that will help everyone. Hard choices have to be made. Doctors have the nuts to make those decisions.


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## Godmil (Mar 17, 2011)

Before I reread the question I was thinking that you were actually the bus driver so should really pick them all up.


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## Kenneth (Mar 17, 2011)

Magix said:


> Can't think outside the box, the question limits us to one of the three options. Unless there's a small whited out "give away the car" option, you are only allowed to choose from the original three.



Exacly my first responce, the 'correct' answer was never an option.

I would not hire that guy, he is a rulebreaker!

This is how to handle it and don't break any rules, take the lady, let your freind have the broad, all happy =)

(I'm old enough to understand there is no such thing as the perfect partner)


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## Kirjava (Mar 17, 2011)

Call ambulance for lady, chill with friend, stare longingly at cute guy.


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