TARGET: critical thinking

ethical dilemmas
person to person etiquette, thinking creatively, taking risks, handling difficulty

one “Ethical Dilemmas” worksheet per team

30 minutes

Directions: Divide the students into teams. Hand out the attached “Ethical Dilemmas” work
sheet. Tell them they have 20 minutes to discuss the situations. Ask each group to select a
team member to explain how the decision was reached and provide justification for their
decision.

Read!
Would You Kill the Fat Man? The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us
about Right and Wrong by David Edmonds

This activity develops critical thinking skills by

asking students challenging questions and
applying ethics to problems.

bullseye! Course Standards 1:1 1:2 1:3 1:4 1:5 1:6

©The Haygood Company, LLC 2016

 TARGET: critical thinking
ethical dilemmas
Discuss the following ethical dilemmas and reach a decision as a team. Select someone to
explain to the class HOW you reached the decision. Have a pen and paper available for
notes.

The lifeboat
The ship is sinking and the seas are treacherous. There is another storm quickly approaching.
Only 1 lifeboat made it through the storm. It holds a maximum of 6 people but there are
10 people that need saving. The four individuals that do not make it on the lifeboat will not
survive the coming storm and rough waters.
• Woman who thinks she is 6 weeks pregnant
• Lifeguard
• Two newlyweds
• 85 year old grandmother with 20 grandchildren
• 2nd grade teacher
• Fifteen year old twins
• Doctor
• Ship’s captain

The Sanders Dilemma

Mrs. Sanders is a law-abiding woman. One day, her husband becomes very ill. His doctor
prescribes an expensive medication that will save his life. He does well with the medicine and
begins to recover. However, the Sanders’ insurance gets cut off and they quickly run out of
money. Soon, Mrs. Sanders can no longer afford to purchase the medicine for her husband
and he takes a turn for the worse. One day, she is in the pharmacy and notices that no one is
around. The medication is sitting on the counter. Should she steal the medicine to help her
sick husband?

The Airport Dilemma

You are in the airport and running to catch your flight. You’re headed to an important meeting
across the country and will disappoint your boss if you do not make it. As you run through the
hallway, a child slips in front of you and falls to the ground. The child is obviously in pain and
crying loudly. The parents are nowhere to be found. Do you stop to help, if you know you will
miss your flight because of it?

©The Haygood Company, LLC 2016