Please read ALL the readings.

Reading selections for this week seem to focus primarily on the concept of responsibility. Regrettably, the concept is not handled well by the authors of our text. One shortcoming of what they have dubbed their "values approach" to professional ethics is that the important concept of responsibility gets forced into the mold of a "value." But this is an uneasy fit.

-- The Paretsky short story is a kind of "who dunnit". Responsibility shows up in the story in the form of holding people responsible for wrong actions.

You'll find that story's heroine is named, Victoria, while the questions for discussion in the text (in case you look at them) refer to her as "V.I."

-- The Friedman article is a classic, from a 1970 New York Times Magazine. Just as the Tarasoff case spurred the development of Professional Ethics as an academic study, the Friedman article also generated much initial interest in the study of Business Ethics. In this article, responsibility is discussed as the duty or obligation of corporations to promote the good of society.

In a secondary sense, the Friedman article is about corporate beneficence or nonmaleficence. The issue is really whether a business corporation has any moral (social) responsibility to benefit or to avoid harming society. Friedman finds that corporations have NO responsibility of this kind.

-- The De George article is a classic reply to Friedman. From reading it you'll probably see why Richard De George has since enjoyed a long and successful academic career in the field of Business Ethics.

-- Jonsen's article focuses on the physician's responsibility to treat dangerous patients, like those infected with HIV or the Covid-19 virus. In this case also responsibility borders on the value(s) of beneficence and nonmaleficence, since physicians are expected to benefit patients, or help them avoid harm.

Beneficence, Nonmaleficence and Responsibility Readings Group 3, Chapter 12 , p. 368_415 Please post your thoughts on one of the Group 3 Readings to the Week 14 Discussion (Although you need to read them all, you only need to post about one ). 500 words minimum