First aid classes are generally quite down to earth. On one question on triaging in catastrophic situations people asked “But isn’t it wrong to decide on who gets no help?”, where the answer was, quite simply (from memory, and badly translated) “Deciding that everybody gets the same attention means deciding that everybody gets no attention.” Very pointed, but good to keep in mind.
Strangely enough, if not framed as question within a philosophical and/or political discussion, such answers are actually accepted. However, I doubt it is because of a sudden outbreak of common sense.
The reason it’s a social and political question is that if you aren’t in an emergency situation, it’s much harder to tell what your capacity for help is. It isn’t infinite, but it could probably be more than you’re unthinkingly willing to allocate. It’s plausible that people are being neglected for no good reason.
I’m not saying it makes sense to plan as though resources are infinite, but but it can also be a good heuristic to ask “what would we be doing if we cared more”?
Right or Wrong (by who’s definition) is more in how you base your decisions, not in whether you make the decisions.
If you can only save one person, and all other things being equal, is it wrong to save the more attractive person because they are more attractive. If so, should you NOT save the more attractive person, just in case their attractiveness may be biasing your decision?
What if $4000 is spent on equipment to save one premature infant per year, who will probably be permanently impaired anyway, when the same money could have saved two or more adults per year?
If you can only save one person, and all other things being equal, is it wrong to save the more attractive person because they are more attractive. If so, should you NOT save the more attractive person, just in case their attractiveness may be biasing your decision?
The larger context is that if that sort of decision is common (and note that “attractive” is shaped by who you’ve been trained to like, it isn’t an absolute), people will put substantial resources into being attractive and/or will be irrationally excluded from opportunities to contribute for being unattractive.
First aid classes are generally quite down to earth. On one question on triaging in catastrophic situations people asked “But isn’t it wrong to decide on who gets no help?”, where the answer was, quite simply (from memory, and badly translated) “Deciding that everybody gets the same attention means deciding that everybody gets no attention.” Very pointed, but good to keep in mind.
Strangely enough, if not framed as question within a philosophical and/or political discussion, such answers are actually accepted. However, I doubt it is because of a sudden outbreak of common sense.
The reason it’s a social and political question is that if you aren’t in an emergency situation, it’s much harder to tell what your capacity for help is. It isn’t infinite, but it could probably be more than you’re unthinkingly willing to allocate. It’s plausible that people are being neglected for no good reason.
I’m not saying it makes sense to plan as though resources are infinite, but but it can also be a good heuristic to ask “what would we be doing if we cared more”?
Right or Wrong (by who’s definition) is more in how you base your decisions, not in whether you make the decisions.
If you can only save one person, and all other things being equal, is it wrong to save the more attractive person because they are more attractive. If so, should you NOT save the more attractive person, just in case their attractiveness may be biasing your decision?
What if $4000 is spent on equipment to save one premature infant per year, who will probably be permanently impaired anyway, when the same money could have saved two or more adults per year?
The larger context is that if that sort of decision is common (and note that “attractive” is shaped by who you’ve been trained to like, it isn’t an absolute), people will put substantial resources into being attractive and/or will be irrationally excluded from opportunities to contribute for being unattractive.