The following problem is provocative and potentially controversial. However, by triggering a strong emotional response of disgust, it helps students realize that they often make decisions out of gut feeling rather than out of rational thought:
The county coroner just finished performing an autopsy on a homeless person who recently died. The coroner has a deadline to assist the District Attorney in evaluating evidence in an ongoing criminal rape trial, and she is running late. Therefore, rather than take the time to go to a restaurant, the coroner cooked a portion of the deceased's bloody flesh over a Bunsen burner and ate it for lunch. No one will ever find out about the coroner's action. Was the coroner's action ethical?