Our discussion of ethics during class on February 14th caused me to think about life in a much broader way. As we go through our daily lives, they can often become routine and monotonous. As things become more familiar, we complete each motion as though it is an instinct, and we do not give much thought to the greater implications of our actions. During class I was forced to venture outside of the “Lewisburg bubble”, and to think about potential real-world scenarios; but even then I was initially limited by my own common sense.
In class, Professor Perrone depicted a scenario where an individual is driving a car, and does not have enough time to stop before running into someone. They must choose to stay straight and hit one person, or to quickly turn the wheel and run over two people. Immediately I thought in my head “Well of course they should stay straight. Losing one life is better than losing two”. After pondering this, Professor Perrone added that the one person in front of the driver is a pregnant woman of eight months, while the two people to the side of the driver are a pair of criminals who have just recently robbed a bank. I felt a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach because while it would be unjust for an innocent pregnant woman to lose her life, it is just as equally unjust to run over two men for a crime they have committed.
I was born and raised in a religious household, and I believe that it is morally wrong to take the lives of other human beings. We do not have the right to choose who lives or dies in any scenario, much less a scenario of an accidental car crash. My argument follows that of the Divine Command Theory in saying that “Good actions follow the will of God and bad actions are contrary to the will of God”. Although scripture does not address all moral issues, I believe that God is the ultimate authority and judge over human life.