Cannibalism: The Case Of The Speluncean Explorers

In the Case of the Speluncean Explorers, there was a group of men who were is interested in exploring caves. The men entered a cave and penetrated the limestone interior of the cave. In doing so, it caused a landslide of rocks and boulders that blocked the only entrance and exit to the cave. There were numerous attempts to rescue the men, but subsequent landslides made the rescue mission problematic. The men realized they had a way of communicating with the rescue team and they were hungry and low on rations. The men had asked for a medical opinion whether they would be able to live an extended period without eating. The men were told that there was little possibility for all of the men to survive another ten days without eating. The men soon lost communications with the rescue crew. On the thirty-second day, the men were finally rescued, and one of the men was missing. The men had cast a vote to kill one of them to help the other men survive until the rescue crew could save them. Cannibalism is morally unacceptable in the United States, but in this particular case, cannibalism took place for survival. Handy, J. explained that nearly ninety percent of people expressed a belief that the men should be pardoned from their crimes in the particular case. Cases such as this one do not take place every day, but the law

(N.S.) §12-A (Fuller, 5). However, when the men went into the cave to mine, none of the people had a premeditated notion of killing another man in a few short days. Roger Whetmore agreed to be killed by the other men so anyone can argue that they did not murder Whetmore (Fuller, 3). The men killed Whetmore because physicians told them that they all would not survive the ten more days it would take them to be rescued. The men did not kill Whetmore because they disliked him or had the intent to kill