Final answer:
The moral difference between saving a life and creating a life relates to existing lives versus potential lives and involves various ethical considerations such as sanctity, responsibility, and rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
The moral difference between saving a life and creating a life involves complex ethical considerations, including the sanctity of human life, responsibility, and potentiality. Saving a life is often seen as a moral obligation, as the action directly relates to preserving the existence of an already living being who has formed relationships, experiences, and potential future contributions to society. On the other hand, creating a life encompasses a different set of moral considerations such as the potential for life, the rights and duties of the living, and the moral status of beings that are not yet fully developed certain stages of existence.
For the aforementioned scenarios:
- Flipping the switch is permissible
- Picking up the child is obligatory
- Taking the healthy person's organs is forbidden
The consensus on these moral dilemmas suggests that our ethical judgments might not depend on religious or non-religious backgrounds, but rather on a shared sense of moral reasoning that transcends different beliefs. Professionals, including those in medical fields, often grapple with such dilemmas where the sanctity of human life and the rights of individuals are in tension with one another.