The Submarine Crew

The Submarine Crew

Mark is a crewperson on a marine-research submarine traveling underneath a large iceberg. An onboard explosion has damaged the ship, killed and injured several crewmembers. Additionally, it has collapsed the only access corridor between the upper and lower parts of the ship. The upper section, where Mark and most of the others are located, does not have enough oxygen remaining for all of them to survive until Mark has reached the surface. Only one remaining crewmember is located in the lower section, where there is enough oxygen.

There is an emergency access hatch between the upper and lower sections of the ship. If released by an emergency switch, it will fall to the deck and allow oxygen to reach the area where Mark and the others are. However, the hatch will crush the crewmember below, since he was knocked unconscious and is lying beneath it. Mark and the rest of the crew are almost out of air though, and they will all die if Mark does not do this.

Should Mark release the hatch and crush the crewmember below to save himself and the other crew members?

The Baby or The Townspeople

Enemy soldiers have taken over Jane’s village. They have orders to kill all remaining civilians over the age of two. Jane and some of the townspeople have sought refuge in two rooms of the cellar of a large house. Outside Jane hears the voices of soldiers who have come to search the house for valuables. Jane’s baby begins to cry loudly in the other room.

His crying will summon the attention of the soldiers who will spare Jane’s baby’s life, but will kill Jane and the others hiding in both rooms.

If Jane turns on the noisy furnace to block the sound, the other room will become uncomfortably hot for adults and children, but deadly for infants.

To save her and the others Jane must activate the furnace, which will kill her baby.

Should Jane overheat her baby in order to save herself and the other townspeople?

The Overloaded Lifeboat

Doug is on a cruise ship when there is a fire on board, and the ship has to be abandoned. The lifeboats are carrying many more people than they were designed to carry. The lifeboat he’s in is sitting dangerously low in the water – a few inches lower and it will sink.

The seas start to get rough, and the boat begins to fill with water. A group of old people are in the water and ask Doug to throw them a rope so they can come aboard the lifeboat. It seems to Doug that the boat will sink if it takes on any more passengers.

Should Doug refuse to throw the rope in order to save himself and the other lifeboat passengers?

The Hospital Ventilation

Carrie is a doctor working in a hospital. Due to an accident in the building next door, there are deadly fumes rising up through the hospital’s ventilation system. In a certain room of the hospital are four of her patients. In another room there is one of her patients. If she does nothing the fumes will rise up into the room containing the four patients and cause their deaths.

The only way to avoid the deaths of these patients is to hit a switch that will cause the fumes to bypass the room containing the four patients. As a result of doing this, the fumes will enter the room containing the single patient (against her will). If she does this, the woman will die, but the other four patients will live.

Should Carrie hit the switch in order to save four of her patients?

The Concentration Camp

You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don’t he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don’t have any doubt that he means what he says.

What should you do?