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An ethical dilemma
is a situation that will often involve an apparent conflict between
moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing
another. This is also called an ethical paradox since in moral
philosophy, paradox plays a central role in ethics debates. For
instance, an ethical admonition to "love thy neighbour as thy self" is
not always just in contrast with, but sometimes in contradiction to an
armed neighbour actively trying to kill you: if he or she succeeds, you
will not be able to love him or her. But to preemptively attack them or
restrain them is not usually understood as loving. This is one of the
classic examples of an ethical decision clashing or conflicting with an
organismic decision, one that would be made for the purpose
of survival. |