Imagine a sinking ship with 15 people. There are two lifeboats. One lifeboat can fit 9 people and has relatively few supplies, while the other lifeboat can fit 5 people and has ample supplies.
A 70-year-old cancer patient
A 40-year-old obese man with Type 2 diabetes
A 20-year-old heroin addict
A 30-year-old HIV positive pregnant woman with a 5-year-old child
All the other passengers on the sinking ship are relatively young and healthy. How would you answer the following questions?
(a) Would a lottery be an ethically acceptable way of determining access to resources? Why or why not?
(b) Would it be ethical to try to accommodate all 15 passengers, or would it be ethical to exclude one or more passengers from access to the lifeboats? If you were to exclude, which passengers would it be ethical to exclude and why? Refer to either strategy and which you would go with and why. Should those who have more needs (i.e., those who are unhealthy) or those who have more ability (i.e., those who are healthy) be excluded?
(c) How would you decide who gets on which lifeboat? Should those who have more needs qualify for access to more resources or less?
(d) Which theory of justice (liberal, libertarian, or socialist) do your answers most correspond to and why?
