Ethical parable/question.

[JGG]

An elderly man is struck with a strange illness and lies dying in a hospital bed. The man's three sons each come to visit him:

The Eldest Son does not want to visit because he does not want to see his father in his weakened condition, but because of guilt, and a feeling of responsibility visits anyway.

The Middle Son also does not want to visit his father out of how he might react to his weaknesses, but is pressured into it by his mother who nags him for days to visit.

The Youngest Son visits often because it makes him feel good to be there for his father in his time of need.

Based on their actions and attitudes in this instance, which son would you say is the most ethical? Why?

(You can select multiple sons, but try not to)

 

[sister_maynard]

I'm torn between Eldest and Youngest. Youngest is basically coming for the warm and fuzzy feeling, but he's happy to be there and that will show in his dealings with his father. Eldest is scared of losing his memories of his father as healthy and happy, but he feels responsible for comforting his father and overcomes the obstacle; his father's needs dominate his own.
I'm leaning a bit towards Eldest now. Youngest is okay, but Middle is a jerk.

 

[Pogue]

Difficult, but I went for the middle one. The youngest one only visits because it makes him feel good, which doesn't seem like a good reason to do anything. I have more sympathy towards the eldest, who goes because it is his duty to go in the end. But I think that the middle son acted the most ethically, because although he had a perfectly understandable worry about seeing his father so ill, he overcame it.

 

[WingsOfTheNeophyte]

I think the youngest is the more ethical

This is because from the point of view of the father, the youngest will be the more enthusiastic one, the one who will appear more, and seem to care more

The others have been bullied into going, and will likely be less supportive, and less wanting to be there, the father will sense this, and it will bring his mood down

 

[Belk]

Interesting question. I went with all 3, since to me Ethical is acting in dictates with your conscience. Along with the others I think number two is one rather weak ground since he let himself be bullied into going.

 

[ebia]

The eldest: he chooses to do the loving thing, even though he doesn't want to.

 

[kopilo]

Other: people respond differently to different situations, I do not profess in telling people what to do and in such a situation and do not believe their is only one moral or correct way to act.

Note: I gather we are to assume that they all have the same relationship with their farther and that their farther would be able to appericiate their vist... However I will not judge someone on an assumption.

 

[Vylo]

The eldest. The other 2 only visit to benefit themselves. The youngest because it makes him feel good, and the middle to quiet his mother. The Eldest visits purely out of responsibility even though he gains little to nothing, and perhaps even loses something when he visits.

 

[The Nihilist]

False problem. They all do the same right action, and it is only their feelings that are different. Feelings, though, have no moral status.

 

[yasic]

I say both the eldest and youngest:

They both go to the father for good reasons:
The first goes because he feels he needs to do this for his fathers sake.
The third because he genuinely likes to help his father.

In other words both are doing it because they want to do so for the good of the father....



The middle son is doing it to avoid feeling bad (from his mother), not because he wants to do good to his father.

 

[YamiB]

I think I would also have to go with a tie between the Eldest and the Youngest. The Eldest because he overacame his own fears and came for his father. Yet the Youngest did not reject the idea and I think it could hardly be said that him feeling good about helping his father is a bad thing.