The Kursk Syndrome

When Russian sailors died several years ago in a submarine disaster, many blamed their deaths on the unwillingness of the government to ask for help.

It’s a problem in ethics. You have an opportunity right now to solve it.

You’re driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. Your best friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect woman/man you have been dreaming about all your life.

There can only be one passenger in your car, and you can’t return to the bus stop once you have left it. Which one would you choose to offer a ride?

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once used on an employment questionnaire.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take your best friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no...