Entry 4_Lê Vân Anh

Entry 4

Analyzing arguments

The accident

You are an emergency worker that has just been called to the scene of an accident. When you arrive, you see that the car belongs to your wife. Fearing the worst, you rush over to see she is trapped in her car with another man.

She sees you and although barely conscious, she manages to mouth the words “I’m sorry...”

You don’t understand, but her look answers you question. The man next to her is her lover with whom she’s been having an affair.

You reel back in shock, devastated by what her eyes have just told you. As you step back, the wreck in front of you comes into focus. You see your wife is seriously hurt and she needs attention straight away. Even if she gets attention there’s a very high chance she’ll die.

You look at the seat next to her and see her lover. He’s bleeding heavily from a wound to the neck and you need to stem the flow of blood immediately. It will only take about 5 minutes to stop, but it will mean your wife will definitely die.

If you tend to your wife however, the man will bleed despite the fact it could have been avoided.

à Content fallacy: false dilemma

Analysis:

The man has falsely gotten himself into a dilemma because he was limited to only two choices. There is also another way for the man to take and to solve the situation. There are many emergency workers going with him, so he just needs to ask another skilled worker to help his wife's lover while he helps his wife with her injury. By demanding other choices beyond these limited ones, the man can avoid being on the horns of a dilemma.

Source: http://listverse.com/2007/10/21/top-10-moral-dilemmas/