by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: October 30, 2009   Last Updated: March 06, 2012

Philosophical conundrums are problems where there is no answer, no easy answer, or no answer that is agreed upon by everyone. When dealing with a philosophical conundrum, our personal set of knowledge, values, norms, beliefs, and settled minds determine the answer until a situation arises where all of our settled ideals and ideas provide no clear guidance.

Beginning with this one: When is murder a crime and not a crime, and when is suicide a crime and not a crime? When a soldier commits an act that is sure to result in his or her own death, but which will save others, it is considered to be the ultimate act of heroism, and not a suicide. There is no known secular law that punishes an individual for committing suicide.

When a person, such as the character Sophie, in the story "Sophie's Choice" is forced to make a horrific decision as to which person a murderer will kill, is that person guilty of contributing to the murder? If, as with Sophie, the guilt is so profound that she commits suicide, is the person who forced the choice guilty of causing the suicide?

When a person is unaware that another person has a heart condition, and playfully sneaks up and yells "Boo!", causing the person to die from heart failure, is lack of foreknowledge of the heart condition an excuse, or is the prankster guilty of murder?

When a person knows that a friend committed a murder and fails to report it, as occurred in a heavily reported murder of a child in a Las Vegas Casino, should a major university accept that person as a student?

Some personal favorite conundrums include:

• Why does time pass by quickly for one person and drag on and on for another?

• If I can't see my cellulite, is it there?

• If I can't hear my husband, is he still griping?

• If the Lone Ranger is always with Tonto, then why is he the "Lone" Ranger?

• Why didn't Tarzan have a beard?

• If we come up on an endangered animal, and observe that it is eating an endangered plant, what should we do?

• How do we know when we are out of invisible ink?

• What would the world be like if there were no hypothetical situations?

• Why do we eat products made with "artificial lemon flavor" and use cleaning products made with "real lemon?"

• What, truly is a doughnut hole?

A conundrum Game

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