Editor’s Introduction

Arien Mack Editor’s Introduction A DIFFICULT CHOICE IS A CHOICE THAT IS H A R D BECAUSE OF ITS in h eren t content—w hether or not to perm it euthanasia, for example. It is a choice that often involves choosing between alternatives, either of which results in sacrificing som ething one believes in. For example, if we were to allocate an extrem ely expensive medical treatm ent on the basis of the likelihood of its success, a sicker person m ight be denied treatm ent. Perhaps hum an beings have always lived in tim es th at were replete w ith difficult choices, and perhaps to be fully hum an, it has always been necessary to confront such choices. Yet somehow it seems th at these choices are becom ing if not m ore difficult, then m ore frequent. If we just consider how our capacity to extend and save lives though biom ededical intervention has increased, or how our need to obtain inform ation about possible catastrophic attacks has grown m ore urgent following 9/11, or if we consider all that we are capable of now that we were not capable of earlier, such as cloning a hum an organism or com m unicating w ith som eone anyw here in the world in an instant, the reasons become clear. All of these “advances” bring w ith them newly difficult choices th at simply are added to the stock of earlier, proverbial choices. Moreover, these choice are often choices that are not made by a single individual but rather by groups or govern­ m ents, and while that too is not new, it seems to be m ore the case now than earlier. Should we intervene in the Balkans? How do we distribute health care or life-giving organs like kidneys or hearts in an equitable m anner w hen resources are so scarce? And who decides? social research Vol 74 : No 1 : Spring 2007 v These are the kinds of question that motivated this issue. It is an issue in which the authors discuss difficult choices and try to spell out why they are difficult and how such choices m ight be made. Some of the papers look at a particular difficult choice, like organ allocation or hum anitarian intervention, while others deal w ith m ore general issues and help to shed light m ore generally on the nature of difficult choices. Difficult choices will always be difficult but my hope is that this issue will make it easier to think about them m ore effectively. vi social research ...