the case of the spelunkers

Essay by whsbaseballCollege, UndergraduateB+, November 2014

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Introduction to Philosophy

July 8, 2014

"A Cave Drawing for the Ages"

In this paper I will argue that the killing of Rodger Whetmore was morally unjustified as the spelunkers forced Whitmore to participate in their "death draw" against his will. The spelunkers knew that their lives were in danger and therefore made the arbitrary decision to "sacrifice" Whetmore without his consent. If Whitmore had given his consent; however, the situation would have been justified.

The decision to kill Whemtmore was morally unjust as it was an act done out of selfishness. The spelunkers who participated knew they had significantly higher chances of living. In fact, they had no intentions of dying whatsoever, but possessed the selfish intention of feasting on the innocent spectator. Whetmore and his accomplice's decision not to participate ultimately increased the participants' chances of dying, driving them to force Whitmore into the game. It is now a matter of contradiction as the other spelunkers claimed that Whetmore had a breach of faith, however that statement is hypocritical because the only people who lost faith in the situation were them for resorting to dire measures for survival.

The fact that the spelunkers were deprived of essential resources and most likely not mentally healthy does not validate their decision to force Whetmore into their "death draw". Anyone who is not in their right state of mind would not participate in the drawing, but would act ferociously and compete for food. If we were to use this principle to justify a husband killing his wife during a disagreement, we would be able to conclude that he was under pressure, but ultimately responsible for his crime. Therefore, the claim that the spelunker's decision to kill Whetmore without his consent is not justified by their altered mental state.

Similarly, in the...