hug-a-tree
05-22-07, 11:44 PM
I had to read the Lottery in class and we're debating whether what they did in the story was ethical or not. In the story these people in this small town of only 300 people have a lottery every year. In the end when the number is drawn, you find that the person drawn is to be killed so their body could be used in the fields to help the crops grow better. =/
Is it okay to have people killed if it benefits others? What do you think?
Grantywanty
05-23-07, 10:18 AM
not really hypothetical.
Miners have served this function in society for as long as we have had mines.
Anti-Flag
05-23-07, 10:49 AM
I had to read the Lottery in class and we're debating whether what they did in the story was ethical or not. In the story these people in this small town of only 300 people have a lottery every year. In the end when the number is drawn, you find that the person drawn is to be killed so their body could be used in the fields to help the crops grow better. =/
Is it okay to have people killed if it benefits others? What do you think?
Only if everyone's a volunteer. Nobody should be forced to give up their life for others.
Enterprise-D
05-23-07, 10:56 AM
This is clearly unethical. The town does not exist floating on a piece of rock by itself in space. There are other options of sustenance, eg outsourcing labour to the next town.
It is also unethical because a single person per year cannot fertilize a whole field of crops; you'll basically be ending a life for no reason. A life by the way that could be a child. Perhaps even a child who'll grow up and perfect vegetable cloning.