Crucial Choices Capsule

Worksheet Description

The “Crucial Choices Capsule” worksheet engages students with the classic ethical problem known as the “Lifeboat Dilemma It provides a scenario where a group of people must be saved with limited resources, specifically a lifeboat with not enough seats for everyone. The students are prompted to consider this situation and think critically about the difficult choices that need to be made. They are asked to articulate their reasoning for how they would resolve such a dilemma, which has no clear right or wrong answers.

This worksheet aims to teach students about the nature of moral dilemmas and the process of ethical decision-making. It encourages them to understand that some situations require making tough choices that have significant consequences. Students are prompted to develop criteria for decision-making in life-and-death situations and to reflect on the values and principles that underpin their choices. The task also serves to enhance students’ empathy and their ability to engage in complex reasoning, skills that are invaluable both in academics and in life.