[AnAmericanMother]

Where are all those guys who were saying it was o.k. to leave this dude, yesterday?

Sir Edmund's word must count for something. Although the utilitarians probably think he's a dinosaur.

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

There are points on the climb where you can barely carry yourself. The many who have died and remain on the mountain are proof of this.

Most likely the "utilitarians" were not praising the decision to leave this man behind, simply stating that their decision was based on the impossibility of the matter.

Surely, if this group could have abandoned their goal of summitting and figured out a way to save this man and bring him down, I'd hope they would have done so.

If they "chose" to summit rather than save a life, then they ought to be haunted the rest of their lives. But in this day of "choice" I wouldn't be surprised if this is just one of the fascinating exploits of their fascinating tale that they tell to all their fascinated and admiring guests at dinner parties.