Philosophy Dilemma

PROMPT
You are employed at a tech company that recently developed a happiness machine. The machine
induces in the user a passive dreamlike state in which they experience pure happiness. While the
user does not have access to their rational mind for the duration of the experience, the machine is
designed to wake up the user after a specified period of time or in response to urgent notifications.
The machine includes features to prevent it from becoming addictive and to improve users’ ability
to care for themselves and others. Rigorous tests have proven that it is safe for regular use.
There was, however, one exceptional case in which the user became incurably depressed after
using the machine. While the user has a history of mental illness, they insist that the machine is
responsible for making them depressed, and that the only way they can experience happiness
now is by using the machine. The user signed a waiver accepting all risks associated with testing
the machine. The company has ordered an independent investigation that found the machine had
been tampered with before it reached the user, but as a lead engineer on the project you are
skeptical that the machine could be sabotaged in this way. There are no active suspects and no
causal explanation for the anomaly. The company is reluctant to do additional testing and asks
you and your team to sign a non-disclosure agreement to prevent the story from leaking and
potentially damaging the company’s reputation.
If you sign the NDA, the company will share the results of the investigation with you, but you will
not be allowed to publicly discuss the details of the case without losing your job and being sued
for breach of contract. If you don’t sign the NDA, you will lose your job immediately and will be
unable to wield any internal influence over testing and quality control.
Should you sign the NDA? Why or why not? Explain your moral reasoning with recourse to the
ethical and political concepts (e.g. utility, duty, virtue, justice, autonomy, etc.) we have discussed
in this class. Do you have any additional ethical responsibilities above and beyond either signing
or not signing the NDA, and if so, what are they?
1. Essay Pitch
a. Propose an idea for an essay based on the prompt
i. Include a topical statement, thesis statement, and directional statement
b. The topical statement summarizes the dilemma
i. In your own words
ii. Brief and attention-grabbing
c. Thesis statement replies to the prompt, “Should you sign the NDA?”
i. E.g. “In this essay, I will argue that I should…” (or just “I should…”)
ii. Any additional responsibilities?
iii. State your position clearly and directly
d. The directional statement sets out the reasons why you should do what you propose
i. Moral reasoning
• Virtue ethics? Utilitarianism? Deontology? A combination?
• Be careful if you try to combine ethical theories
• Don’t contradict yourself
ii. Three reasons corresponding to three body paragraphs
iii. Relevant and logically consistent