“The Cold Equations”

By Tom Godwin

When have you done something

WITHOUT knowing what you’re getting

into?

Could you actively kill one person to

save another?

Is it ever justifiable to knowingly cause another person’s

death?

Does it matter if one person’s death will save many people’s

lives?

What if the person is responsible for the

situation which necessitates his or

her death?

In what circumstances are laws that demand

death acceptable in society?

If there was a child who has no criminal record, and the

person you have been sent to rescue is, in fact, a known

criminal. Who do you choose to save?

What if it was your own child.

What if the child is the child of the person you are to save,

and the person you have been ordered to save has told you

explicitly he/she would rather die than have his/her child sacrificed in an attempt at

rescue.

.

What if the person you are to save is your own space

colony's sole doctor -- who in turn will be able to save

others, whereas the uneducated child is actually of no asset to your colony.

.

What if you yourself require treatment by the doctor or

you will die?

.

What if the reason you require treatment is your own fault, because

you've brought on lung cancer, or some futuristic equivalent, through

smoking, or some futuristic equivalent, which you knew from the outset was a likely outcome of your own behavior?

What if the person you are to rescue in fact

became stranded because of his/her own stupidity/recklessness?

What if the person you are to rescue in fact

became stranded because of his/her own stupidity/recklessness?

With the ship already low on fuel, any added weight

would certainly slow them down.

When a stowaway is found on board, there is almost certain trouble

ahead.

They both won’t make it if she is still

onboard…

What to do?

Find out in…

“The Cold Equations.”

Sophie’s Choice Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ9bht5H2p4

Impossible Decisions

Nobody gets through life without having to make hard decisions. What kinds of choices might have difficult consequences no matter what we decide to do? Write about such a choice. How would you make a decision when faced with such a hard choice?