I was surprised by your “dearest” and “mirror” tests.
Call the first the “dearest test.” When you have some big call to make, sit down with a person very dear to you—a parent, partner, child, or friend—and look them in the eyes. Say that you’re making a decision that will affect the lives of many people, to the point that some strangers might be hurt. Say that you believe that the lives of these strangers are just as valuable as anyone else’s. Then tell your dearest, “I believe in my decisions, enough that I’d still make them even if one of the people who could be hurt was you.”
Or you can do the “mirror test.” Look into the mirror and describe what you’re doing that will affect the lives of other people. See whether you can tell yourself, with conviction, that you’re willing to be one of the people who is hurt or dies because of what you’re now deciding. Be accountable, at least, to yourself.
These tests seem to rule out many actions that seem desirable to undertake. For example:
Creating and distributing a COVID vaccine: there is some small risk of serious side effects and it is likely that a small number of people will die even though many, many more will be saved. So this may not pass the “dearest” and “mirror” tests. Should we not create and distribute vaccines?
Launching a military operation to stop genocide: A leader may need to order military action to halt an ongoing genocide, knowing that some innocent civilians and their own soldiers will likely die even though many more will be saved. This may not pass the “dearest” and “mirror” tests. Should we just allow the genocide?
Do you bite the bullet here? Or accept that these tests may be flawed?
I was surprised by your “dearest” and “mirror” tests.
These tests seem to rule out many actions that seem desirable to undertake. For example:
Creating and distributing a COVID vaccine: there is some small risk of serious side effects and it is likely that a small number of people will die even though many, many more will be saved. So this may not pass the “dearest” and “mirror” tests. Should we not create and distribute vaccines?
Launching a military operation to stop genocide: A leader may need to order military action to halt an ongoing genocide, knowing that some innocent civilians and their own soldiers will likely die even though many more will be saved. This may not pass the “dearest” and “mirror” tests. Should we just allow the genocide?
Do you bite the bullet here? Or accept that these tests may be flawed?