Topics Ethics

Question If there is a hypothetical situation where you have to kill someone to save another's life, what would be the ethical thing to do?

Accepted:
January 14, 2006

Comments

Much depends of how these two lives are causally connected: Why is killing the one necessary to saving the other?

One obvious connection is this: A is about to kill B and killing A is your only way of preventing this. In this sort of case, killing A is ordinarily justified (see answer to question 620) -- though there are obvious exceptions as when A's attempt to kill B is justified by the threat B poses to A or to some third party.

Another possible connection is that C happens to be in the way of your rescuing D. Perhaps C is blocking your approach to D or your approach, with D, to the hospital, and you cannot get C moved, at least not quickly enough, to accomplish your mission. In this sort of case, assuming C is not intentionally blocking your path to effect D's death, it would be wrong to kill C in order to save D's life. This prohibition, however, is presumably not absolute. So, if there are many people whose rescue C is innocently blocking then it is permissible to kill C in order to accomplish the rescue.

Question If there is a hypothetical situation where you have to kill someone to save another's life, what would be the ethical thing to do? Accepted:January 14, 2006

Question If there is a hypothetical situation where you have to kill someone to save another's life, what would be the ethical thing to do?

Accepted:
January 14, 2006