Moral dilemmas are posed to each individual on a continuous basis throughout life. Some moral dilemmas may seem trivial while others could mean life or death. In this research paper two dilemmas: The Lifeboat and Nieces and Daughters will be examined that would be considered life or death situations. The moral dilemmas will be explained in each situation and a decision will be made on how to handle each one. The process on how one should handle each decision process in the situations will be examined using ethical frameworks and ethical theories, mainly egoism and hedonism. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Ethical egoism is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is their own self interest and ethical hedonism is the normative ethical position to use happiness as the sole criterion for determining the moral rightness and wrongness of an action." Both ethical egoism and hedonism are similar in the fact that they are both concerned with the pursuit of personal happiness/pleasure. Yet, they are different in the fact that egoism is only concerned with one's self interest whereas hedonism includes the consideration of other's happiness as well.
Dilemma 1 - Lifeboat.
In the first dilemma posed you are on a cruise ship and have to abandon ship and retreat to lifeboats. The lifeboat that you are in with 9 other people is taking on water but you have come up with a plan of bailing water, which will keep you afloat for 5 hours. Yet, a friend in another lifeboat that is not taking on water gets your attention and offers their only available spot on their boat to you. "Do you stay on your current boat and help keep it afloat as long as possible and hope that rescue will arrive in 5 hours? Or do you go to your friend's boat, ensuring your rescue, but reducing the chances of the others on the boat being rescued?" (ListVerse, p.