Plank of Carneades

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In ethics, the plank of Carneades is a thought experiment first proposed by Carneades of Cyrene; it explores the concept of self-defense.

In the thought experiment, there are two shipwrecked sailors, 1 and 2. They both see a plank that can only support one of them and both of them swim towards it. 1 gets to the plank first. 2 is going to drown so 2 pushes 1 away from the plank and, thus, ultimately, leads to 1 drowning. 2 gets on the plank and is later saved by a rescue team. 2 cannot be tried for murder because if 2 had to kill 1 in order to live, then it would be in self-defense.

[edit] Plank of Carneades in fiction

In the Kindaichi Case Files manga volume 6, The Legend of Lake Hiren, the target of the murderer was in a situation involving Carneades' Plank.
In the 2003 movie Saw (film), Doctor Gordon must kill Adam Faulkner in order to be released from a remote room. this situation could be argued as involving Carneades' Plank