I was recently given a scenario that spawned a whole set of philosophical questions. You sociology majors will sneer at this probably entrance-level exam question, but it's one that we never looked at in engineering school (so humour me, ok?).
Setting. A kid in high school is always being picked on and he begins to isolate himself.
Scenario 1: You aren`t involved in any way with any of the people involved.
Scenario 2: You personally witness the situation but aren't friends with anybody involved.
Scenario 2: He is a friend and confides in you.
Scenario 3: You are part of the tormenting group and hear warnings from a third party.
Questions for each of the scenarios: (a) Whose fault is that? (b) Who, if anybody, should intervene, with whom, in what manner and when?
Variation1 on the setting: How do your answers change if he has retaliated violently against those that picked on him - is that self-defence?
Variation2 on the setting: How do your answers change if he has retaliated violently against random individuals or society at large?
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