



Christopher Hitchens rose to notoriety as a moralist. He wrote a book assailing the character of Mother Teresa. In the same vein he assailed Henry Kissinger and Jerry Falwell–among others. And his book on god is not Great is a pretext for him to vent his indignation at all things religious.





Recently, Hitchens has been receiving experimental therapy for cancer. Of course, many other cancer patients could potentially benefit from the same experimental therapy. Take a teenager with cancer.





So why does Hitchens make the cut while others do not? Because he’s a celebrity. Fame and favoritism go together.





He’s in the same boat as other cancer patients, but he gets special treatment. In effect, Hitchens is throwing other passengers overboard. After all, when he was singled out for preferential treatment, Hitchens could always say, “I appreciate the offer, but I’m 62. I indulged in high-risk behavior. I lost the bet. I’m wealthy. If I die, my dependents will be well-pro

vided for. Why don’t you take the case of that teenager with cancer instead?

”

The proverbial lifeboat is a stock hypothetical in ethics. Given limited food and freshwater to go around, should we be altruistic when altruism is a threat to our own survival?