We are all individuals. But rare is the person who truly works alone. Most of us are part of a group, whether it’s at work, on a team or in a family.
And at some point we all face the question of how to balance personal interest with the best interest of the group.
There are many variations on how to pose such a dilemma. And one college professor has come up with his own tricky proposition. Read the article and pose these questions at the table tonight!
- If you were a student in this class, how would you vote? Two points or six points? Explain your reasoning.
- There’s not much at stake with an extra credit question. What if the dilemma was life or death, like the example of selecting which people get off the desert island?
- Have you ever faced a real life dilemma where it was your personal interest vs. the interest of the group? If not, can you talk about a movie or a book that presented such a challenge?
- The psychologist quoted in the article states, “The younger you are, the less likely you are going to be to consider what is good for the group.” Do you agree with this? Explain your answer.
- What does it mean to be selfish? Can you talk about a time you acted selfishly? What about a time you acted selflessly?
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