Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.-- Hippocrates (460 - 370 BCE)
ID: 1108467 • Letter: L
Question
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.--
Hippocrates (460 - 370 BCE), the famous Greek physician
Good Farms Company is a publicly held corporation. It sells grows and sells
corn, and other vegetables, to supermarkets and restaurants. It advertises its
food as organically grown. This year GFC began selling genetically modified
corn. GFC did not disclose to its customers that its corn was genetically modified
or how its corn was genetically modified because, in the words of its CEO, "If we
did, the customers wouldn't buy it." The way the corn was modified was by
adding to the genetic structure of the corn a bacterium known to cause paralysis
and even death in some people. This addition made the corn crop more resistant
to disease and pests and insured a higher crop yield. GFC knew that this
modification was likely to result in the serious illness or even death of 1 in every
500 people. Yet, it sold the corn without any disclosures or warnings. To quote
the CEO, "One death to feed 500, that's a risk we're willing to take." GFC's
modification was discovered when a woman died as a result of eating corn in a
restaurant, and her death was traced by the police back to GFC.
a. What unethical acts, if any, did GFC engage in?
b. Which of the ethical theories we're studying did it use to justify its actions?
c.What alternatives were available to GFC?
d.If you were the decision-maker, what decisions would you have made?
e. What ethical theories would you rely on as the basis of your decision?
Explanation / Answer
Answer A:- Unethical acts:- GFC did false advertising to deceive its customers and failed to disclose serious facts that were deadly to some customers. GFC is only concerned about the sales revenues but not the welfare of the customer.
Answer B:- Theory of consequentialism- this theory is to the idea that the end justifies the means and that if majority benefits, doing harm to the minority is acceptable.
Answer C:- Alternatives:-
1. Grow the corn and use agricultural chemicals.
2. Grow the corn in disease and pest regulated environments such as greenhouses.
3. Use disclaimer content to state that the corn was genetically modified and use "buyer beware", caveat emptor.
Answer D:- I would make a decision to use caveat emptor and the buyers would buy at their own will, with full knowledge of the possible harms and I would not grow the genetically modified corn again.
Answer E;- Theory of utilitarianism which states that faced with a challenge, one should select the best action that maximizes doing good to all.
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