Would you go to prison to save a friend’s life? Hmm. Uncomfortable question, also one difficult to answer for most people. I was watching Return to Paradise (starring Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix) which poses that question to its audience. Basic summary:

3 guys are on vacation in Malaysia, 2 leave and the one who stays (Phoenix) ends up getting arrested for drug possession and sentenced to death. His lawyer (Heche) goes to New York to track down the friends and persuade them to go back and take responsibility for their part in the drugs because if they don’t then the other guy will be hung. If both go back they will all do 3 yrs and if only one goes back then the sentence is 6 yrs.

What this movie reminded me off was an game theory example often described as The Prisoners’ Dilemma. Though not identical, there are definite elements of similarity. Here’s the classical dilemma explained:

Two suspects, A and B, are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal: if one testifies for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both stay silent, the police can sentence both prisoners to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each will receive a two-year sentence. Each prisoner must make the choice of whether to betray the other or to remain silent. However, neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other prisoner will make. So the question this dilemma poses is: What will happen? How will the prisoners act?

The problem becomes interesting when areas of ethics are raised. If each prisoner focuses solely on his freedom, each will betray the other in an attempt to ensure his complete freedom. If both choose instead to stick by their colleague and keep quiet they both end up with lighter sentences. But the challenge is not knowing what the other will do which will have a significant effect on the end result.

The movie premise is different obviously but raises some similarly ethical questions. Do you put your life first and choose to not go back, realizing that you could be sentencing your friend to death or sentencing your two friends to 6 years? Do you put someone else’s life first and give up 3 or 6 years of your life in exchange?

One of the more interesting points was when the guy in jail admitted he would not have gone back to save one of the others if the situations were reversed. Just something to think about.