- Joined
- Aug 11, 2010
- Messages
- 2,102
I generally pride myself at keeping out of situations where I have to choose an evil, but it seems seven hours ago my vigilance has fallen short.
I have an exam in two days, and in this exam you are given a case to research a month before. On the day you are allowed to bring in twenty sides of research. The research you bring in will inevitably be your answers to the questions in the exam, so the better your research the better your grade.
I agreed to share my work with Friend A and Friend B.
Two weeks ago Friend A and I worked on some notes, which he consented for me to give to Friend B; today he gave a set of notes which are prettier, more thorough and more concise, which he explicitly told me not to share with Friend B.
Friends A and B are my closest friends in university, and I am stuck at a crossroad. Share the notes and I betray Friend A's trust; keep them and I knowingly 'condemn' Friend B.
From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, keeping the notes incurs the least consequences. If Friend B finds out I'm using different notes in the exam (which he more likely than not will; we all gather outside the exam hall before the exam, and if he wants to discuss something beforehand, I'm screwed), only our relationship gets damaged. If I share the notes (and if I do, I have to tell Friend B not to tell Friend A about it), Friend A and Friend B's relationship will be strained, and when Friend B figures out why (he's a smart kid; he'll work it out), my relationship with him will be damaged also. That's two damaged relationships.
Either choice is a betrayal. Now the question is who do I betray?
I have an exam in two days, and in this exam you are given a case to research a month before. On the day you are allowed to bring in twenty sides of research. The research you bring in will inevitably be your answers to the questions in the exam, so the better your research the better your grade.
I agreed to share my work with Friend A and Friend B.
Two weeks ago Friend A and I worked on some notes, which he consented for me to give to Friend B; today he gave a set of notes which are prettier, more thorough and more concise, which he explicitly told me not to share with Friend B.
Friends A and B are my closest friends in university, and I am stuck at a crossroad. Share the notes and I betray Friend A's trust; keep them and I knowingly 'condemn' Friend B.
From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, keeping the notes incurs the least consequences. If Friend B finds out I'm using different notes in the exam (which he more likely than not will; we all gather outside the exam hall before the exam, and if he wants to discuss something beforehand, I'm screwed), only our relationship gets damaged. If I share the notes (and if I do, I have to tell Friend B not to tell Friend A about it), Friend A and Friend B's relationship will be strained, and when Friend B figures out why (he's a smart kid; he'll work it out), my relationship with him will be damaged also. That's two damaged relationships.
Either choice is a betrayal. Now the question is who do I betray?