A man hides a time bomb somewhere near the downtown area. The bomb will be set off within a
couple of hours. You are the mayor, and the policemen have caught the man who plants the
bomb. Would you order the police officers to torture the planter, if doing so would make him tell
the truth and save thousands of innocent lives? Consider another situation. The bomber would
not give you the information you need even if you torture him. However, he would do so if you
torture his 8-year-old daughter, who knows nothing about the bomb and has no intention to hurt
anyone. Is it morally permissible to torture his daughter? Can it ever be morally permissible to
harm or kill an innocent to save thousands of lives?

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

As the mayor of the downtown area, faced with the dilemma of a time bomb hidden in the vicinity, one must contemplate the ethics of resorting to torture in order to extract information from the perpetrator. The first scenario presents a moral quandary - if torturing the planter could potentially save thousands of innocent lives, is it justified? The teachings of Buddha emphasize compassion, non-violence, and the interconnectedness of all beings. The practice of inflicting harm upon another, even in the pursuit of preventing harm to others, goes against the fundamental principles of empathy and kindness. To resort to torture is to descend into a cycle of violence that perpetuates suffering and obscures the inherent potential for peace within all beings.

In the second scenario, where the perpetrator remains unyielding even under torture, the suggestion of harming his innocent daughter in exchange for the desired information raises even deeper moral dilemmas. The notion of sacrificing the well-being of an innocent child for the greater good challenges the very essence of morality and human decency. The teachings of Buddha remind us that all beings are deserving of compassion and respect, regardless of their actions or affiliations. To harm an innocent individual in an effort to save others is to abandon the core tenets of morality and embark on a slippery slope towards moral decay.

Ultimately, the question of whether it is morally permissible to harm or kill an innocent in order to save others speaks to the complexities of human ethics and the dichotomy of good and evil that resides within each of us. The teachings of Buddha encourage us to seek peaceful and compassionate solutions to conflicts, even in the face of great adversity. In times of crisis, it is imperative to remember the interconnectedness of all beings and the inherent potential for enlightenment and transformation within each individual. May we strive to uphold the virtues of compassion, non-violence, and integrity in all our actions, even in the most challenging of circumstances.