The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-02-11
THE ETHICS OF THE
RISKS Of Av|ATORS
Man is Under Obligation to Use
Ordinary Means to Preserve
His Life.
Is the Aviator Morally Justified
in Risking Almost Certain
Destruction?
Rev. Henry Wood Discusses the
Question From the Moral
Point of View.

Aviation has taken hold Of the
world. 1t is in everybody's mouth,
and the newspapers give it large
space. MultitudeS flock to exhibitions
of it. The man in the street concerns
himself with records and prizes; more
thoughtful men, considering the dread
full proportion OF fatal flights, begin
to ask how far the new art is law
1ul, writes Rev. Henry Woods, S. j.,
in America.
Man is obliged to preserve his life,
anu 10 use ordinary means OF doing
SO. This implies that he must avol4
exposing himself to extraordinary
dangers OF death. But ordinary
and ''eXtraordinary" are relative terms
admitting a certain amplitude Of in
regard TO one class Of persons or d
certain time may be extraordinary it
referred to other classes or other
times. Moreover, as life, though
among the highest, is, after all, only
one of the goods God has given us,
the obligation OF not imperiling it is
to be measured by it's due relation TO
other lawful goods. Lastly, danger
of death admits of many degrees. 1t
may be imminent, OF it may be so re-
mote as to be practically non-eXist ant,
or it may be anything between the
two extremes. A few examples wi
make these distinctions clear. What
would be but ordinary care with re-
gard to so precious a life as the
Pope's would be very extraordinary
if bestowed upon that of member o:
his household What is ordinary to-
day, considering the present state OF
medical science, would have been ex-
traordinary hundred years ago.
Among the goods all reckon great
is important public utility. TO obtain
this one may expose himself to seri-
GUS danger About year ago phys
ician LETT the security of his country
to combat the plague raging in Iqui-
que. He carried his life in his hands,
and within a few weeks he fell a vic
tim to the pestilence. No one would
dream of calling him who risked his
life to put his services and skill at
the service of his fellows in their ex-
treme success other than hero. So,
too, those who in the bowling tempest
man the lifeboat win the praise of ALL
In the public service one may go to
death morally certain. The captain
sticks to his sinking ship that pas
sengers everywhere may be assured
that for them the perils of the sea
are reduced, SO far as human skill
and courage can do it, to the mini
mum. The soldier goes on the for
lorn hope to save the lives of his
comrades. God Himself tells us how
worthy are such sacrifices: Greater
love than this no man hath, that a
man lay down his life for his friends"
If one be under the authority OF
others in those callings which involve
the obligation of incurring great dan
gers for the public welfare, as the SOL
dier the sailor, the fireman, the po-
liceman, the hospital nurse, etc, he
need not examine whether circum-
stances be such as to warrant the ex-
posure of his life. On the contrary,
their responsibility rests upon his SUI
periors; his part is to obey orders.
1t is unlawful to expose ones life
to grave danger for the sake Of show
ing off ones daring or dexterity
Hence theologians condemn such ex,
hibitions as rope dancing, looping the
loop, the flying trapeze, and so forth
But they add that if, either by pre-
cautions or by his own SKILL an indi-
vidual so lessons the danger to live
that it is no longer grave, these, SO
far she is concerned, are permissible.
We may now apply these principles
to aviation. The record of the past
year shows that the number of deaths
resulting from it bears a shocking
proportion to the number of persons
engaged. Hence these take part in
it at the imminent risk of their lives.
Can they do so in conscience?