What would you do in their place? Reality is not phenomenologically based; it’s socially created -Jon F. Nussbaum.

 You are members of a sub-committee of the Indian Parliament.  American Peace Corps workers have presented you with a concern about the homeless in New Delhi and other cities. They propose to establish homeless shelters and feeding stations funded by US money.  You have agreed to deliberate

 Do you want the project to go forward?  Why or why not?

You are “laiboni,” wise elders of the maasai people of East Africa. You are not rulers, but your advice is respected because of your great age and wisdom. Male members of the tribe, from about the age of seven, herd cattle -- a measure of wealth and status – as well as the traditional source of all sustenance. Maasai traditionally subsist primarily on a mixture of milk and of blood – drained from the neck vein without killing the cow.

Female tribe members care for the home and many children and make jewelry and ornaments for themselves, husband and children and their friends. The cattle of your tribe have developed a virus, that while it does not kill the cattle, makes their meat, blood and milk unsuitable for human consumption. How do you recommend your tribe deal with the situation?

 The island of Haiti has suffered a devastating earthquake, bringing the plight of the people to the attention of the civilized world. You are Haitian professionals who form the board of directors of an orphanage: Village of Angels. Before the quake, your facility cared for 150 children, 100 of them girls, from birth to 16 years. Your facilities were damaged, but were far enough from the epicenter of the quake that they are still usable and none of the children were killed. Some of your workers were not so fortunate. 

 An American organization – Christian but not of the same denomination as most of you – has offered to airlift your children out and place them with families in the US. Another organization has offered basic aid on-site, including workers from the US on a continuing basis. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each from your view? Will you accept either offer? Or try for something else?

 You are members of the tribal assembly for the Gwich’in, native people of Canada’s north slope. Your people have traditionally survived by hunting caribou, moose and other animals. Many still do, although their equipment may include snow mobiles and GPS. Your own experience includes traditional hunts with family members, college, and travel or military service.

 Climate change has threatened the natural life cycle of the caribou, which includes an annual migration to the calving grounds in what is now the Arctic Refuge. A consortium of US and Canadian companies wants to put in an oil pipeline that will cross the caribou migration route. They promise jobs and economic development to the area. Complicating the issue is that area in question is partly in Canada and partly in the US.

 The Canadian Parliament, which has historically been more willing to protect the environment than the US Congress, has asked for representatives from your assembly to participate in hearings on the issue. What will you tell them?

You are members of an Eskimo tribe whose sole food supply is caribou. You kill enough animals in the spring, preserving the meat using traditional methods, to last until fall when the animals migrate south following the food supply. The custom is to kill and preserve these deer in a period of a week or two.

You have just finished the fall hunt. You discover the tribe faces a severe winter without having killed enough caribou to feed the tribe until the spring migrations. Death is certain without sufficient supplies of meat and fat. You are members of the tribal council called to consider the matter. What do you recommend?