Real-Life Decision Making
You are a soil scientist who has been hired by a local agency to help clean up an area where the soil has been contaminated. The agency wants the problem dealt with quickly.
An initial study on the site recommended adding chemicals to the soil. These chemicals would stunt the problem, resulting in a welcome "quick fix" of the problem.
Unfortunately, adding such a large amount of chemicals would prevent plants from growing in the soil and water would not be able to drain through it. To overcome this, 30 inches of soil could be placed on top to allow plants to grow.
After a closer look at this proposal, you realize it is little more than a temporary solution to the problem. Worse, it may have some harmful effects.
You recommend using common fertilizers to neutralize the metals. It will take longer but will be a better solution in the long run.
The agency is not pleased with your recommendation. It wants to go ahead with the quick solution, but your signature of approval is needed to do this. If you push the issue, the agency threatens, it will just do nothing about the problem.
You have two choices in this situation. You could abide by the agency's order for a quick fix, since a partial solution is better than none at all. Or you could refuse to approve, in which case the agency may do nothing about the contaminated soil. What do you do?