Ethics and morals are constructs that regulate human behaviour and allow its direction to what is considered acceptable and positive both individually (ethics) and collectively (morals). What is good and what is bad, what we should do and what we should not do, and even what aspects we care about and value are elements largely derived from our ethical system.

But sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we do not know what to do: choosing A or B has, in both cases, negative and positive repercussions at the same time and the different values that govern us enter into conflict. We are faced with situations that present us with ethical dilemmas .

A part of moral philosophy

An ethical dilemma is understood as any situation in which there is a conflict between the different values of the person and the available options for action . These are situations in which a conflict is going to be generated between several values and beliefs, with no totally good solution and another totally bad option, having both positive and negative repercussions at the same time.

This type of dilemma requires a more or less profound reflection on the alternatives available to us, as well as on the value given to the moral values with which we are governed. Often we will have to prioritize one or the other value, and both will conflict with each other in order to make a decision. Likewise, they allow us to see that things are not either black or white, as well as to understand people who make decisions different from their own .

The existence of existing or possible ethical dilemmas in real life has generated an interesting branch of study focused on our beliefs and values and how they are managed.

They allow us to see how we reflect and what elements we take into account to make a decision. In fact, it is frequent that ethical dilemmas are used as a mechanism to educate in the use and management of emotions and values , to raise awareness about some aspects or to generate debate and share points of view among people. They are also used in the work environment, specifically in personnel selection.

Types of ethical dilemmas

The concept of ethical dilemma may seem clear, but the truth is that there is no one type. Depending on various criteria, we can find different types of dilemmas, which may vary in their level of concreteness, in the role of the subject to whom they are presented, or in their plausibility. In this sense, some of the main types are the following:

1. Hypothetical Dilemma

These are dilemmas that place the person being asked in a position where he or she is confronted with a situation that is very unlikely to happen in real life . These are not impossible phenomena, but they are something that the person has to face on a daily basis in a habitual way. It is not necessary that the person who is faced with the dilemma is the protagonist of it, and it is possible to ask him/her what the character should do.

2. Real Dilemma

In this case, the dilemma raised is about an issue or situation that is close to the people to whom it is raised, either because it refers to an event that they have experienced or something that can happen relatively easily in their daily lives. Although they are usually less dramatic than the previous ones, they can be as or more distressing for this reason. It is not necessary that the person who is faced with the dilemma is the protagonist of the dilemma, and he or she can be asked what the character should do.

3. Open or solution dilemma

The dilemmas posed as open or solution dilemmas are all those dilemmas in which a situation and the circumstances surrounding it are presented, without the protagonist of the story (who may or may not be the subject to whom it is posed) having yet taken any action to solve it. It is intended that the person to whom this dilemma is suggested choose how to proceed in such a situation.

4. Closed or analysis dilemma

This type of dilemma is one in which the situation posed has already been solved in one way or another, having made a decision and carried out a specific series of behaviours. The person to whom the dilemma is posed should not decide what to do, but rather assess the performance of the protagonist .

5. Complete dilemmas

These are all dilemmas in which the person who is asked is informed of the consequences of each of the choices that can be made.

6. Incomplete Dilemmas

In these dilemmas, the consequences of the decisions taken by the protagonist are not made explicit, depending largely on the subject’s ability to imagine advantages and disadvantages .

Examples of ethical dilemmas

As we have seen, there are very different ways of proposing different types of ethical dilemmas, with thousands of options and limited only by one’s imagination. Below we will see some examples of ethical dilemmas (some very well known, others less so) in order to see how they work.

Heinz’s Dilemma

One of the best known ethical dilemmas is Heinz’s dilemma, proposed by Kohlberg to analyze the level of moral development of children and adolescents (inferring from the type of response, the reason for the response given, the level of obedience to the rules or the relative importance that their follow-up may have in some cases). This dilemma is presented in the following way:

Heinz’s wife is sick with cancer, and is expected to die soon if nothing is done to save her. However, there is an experimental drug that doctors believe could save her life: a form of radium that a pharmacist has just discovered. Although this substance is expensive, the pharmacist in question is charging many times more money than it costs to produce it (it costs him $1,000 and he charges $5,000). Heinz collects as much money as he can to buy it, with the help and loan of money from everyone he knows, but he can only raise $2,500 of the $5,000 that the product costs. Heinz goes to the pharmacist, who tells him that his wife is dying and asks him to sell her the medicine at a lower price or let her pay half of it later. The pharmacist, however, refuses, claiming that he must earn money from him since he is the one who discovered it. Having said that, Heinz becomes desperate and considers stealing the medicine." What should he do?

2. Tram Dilemma

The tram or train dilemma is another classic among ethical/moral dilemmas, created by Philippa Foot. This dilemma proposes the following:

A tram/train runs out of control and at full speed on one track, shortly before a switch. Five people are tied up on this track, and they will die if the train/tram reaches them. You are in front of the switch and have the possibility to make the vehicle turn to another track, but on which one person is tied up. Diverting the tram/train will cause a person to die. Not to do it, five will die. What would you do?

This dilemma also has many variants, which can make the choice very difficult . For example, the choice may be that it can stop the tram, but this will cause it to go off track with a 50% chance that all its occupants will die (and 50% chance that all will be saved). Or one can look more for the emotional involvement of the subject: propose that on one of the tracks there are five or more people who will die if nothing is done and on the other one, but that this one is the partner, son/daughter, father/mother, brother/sister or relative of the subject. Or a child.

3. Prisoner’s Dilemma

The prisoner’s dilemma is one of the dilemmas employed by John Nash to explain incentives and the importance of not only one’s own decisions but also those of others in order to obtain certain results, cooperation being necessary to achieve the best possible outcome. Although it is more economical than ethical, it also has implications in this sense .

The prisoner’s dilemma proposes the following situation:

“Two alleged criminals are arrested and locked up, without being able to communicate with each other, on suspicion of their involvement in a bank robbery (or a murder, depending on the version). The penalty for the offence is ten years’ imprisonment, but there is no tangible evidence of either party’s involvement in these events. The police offer each of them the possibility of being released if they turn on the other. If they both confess to the crime, they will each serve six years in prison. If one denies it and the other provides evidence of his involvement, the informant will be released and the other sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. If both deny the facts, both will remain in prison for one year.”

In this case, more than morals we would be talking about the consequences of each act for oneself and for the other and how the result depends not only on our own performance but also on that of others.

4. The Noble Thief

This dilemma poses the following:

“We witnessed a man rob a bank. However, we observe that the thief does not keep the money, but hands it over to an orphanage that lacks the resources to support the orphans living there. We can report the theft, but if we do, the money that the orphanage can now use to feed and care for the children will probably have to be returned.

On the one hand, the subject has committed a crime, but on the other hand he has done so for a good cause. What to do? The dilemma can be complicated if it is added, for example, that during the bank robbery a person has died.

Sometimes we must also face them in real life

Some of the ethical dilemmas proposed above are statements that may seem false or a hypothetical elaboration that we will never have to face in real life. But the truth is that on a day-to-day basis we can come to have to face difficult decisions , with negative consequences or implications whatever decision we make.

For example, we may find an acquaintance performing some unethical act. We can also observe a case of bullying, or a fight, in which we can intervene in different ways. We often encounter homeless people, and may be faced with the dilemma of whether or not to help them. Also on a professional level : a judge for example has to decide whether or not to send someone to prison, a doctor can be faced with the decision to artificially prolong someone’s life or who should or should not be operated on.

We can observe professional malpractice. And we can also face them even in personal life: we can for example witness infidelities and betrayals towards or by loved ones, having the conflict of whether to tell them or not.

In conclusion, ethical dilemmas are an element of great interest that tests our convictions and beliefs and forces us to reflect on what motivates us and how we organize and participate in our world. And this is not something abstract and alien to us, but can be part of our daily lives.

Bibliographic references:

  • Benitez, L. (2009). Activities and resources for educating in values. Editorial PCC.