Question

Case Study

Duty-Oriented Reasoning: A Matter of Principle

Juan and Joe are good friends. They both graduated from the same program and have gone to work in the same radiography department. Part of their duties is to be sure that the standby equipment is ready for service on the wards. Juan and Joe are working the night shift, and while playing around, Juan inadvertently bumps the equipment, tips it over, and breaks the standby instrument.

In that it was an accident, Juan asks you, as a friend, not to tell anyone it was his fault. “Accidents do happen.” The two of you switch out the equipment, sending the broken piece down to maintenance, and put a working instrument on standby.

In the morning your boss comes in and notices that the equipment has been sent down to maintenance. He asks what happened, and Juan says, “I dunno. Someone from out of the department must have bumped it or something.” The boss looks at you and asks you the same question.

1. Solve the problem using duty-oriented or principled reasoning. Remember that in this form of reasoning, it is not the consequences that are considered but rather the principles involved.
2. What principles are involved in this case?
3. Do any of the principles involved conflict with each other?
4. Do some principles have a higher value than others?

Answer 1

1. In this case, though Juan and Joe are very good friends but ethically their core responsibility is to be sure that the standby equipment is ready for service on the wards. But this didn't happened because Juan inadvertently bumps the equipment, tips it over, and breaks the standby instrument.

2. Through a professional perspective, Juan and Joe both are suppose to be more truthful, responsible and dedicated to their profession as well as their seniors in the institution. However, Juan lied to his boss keeping his duty aside to escape from the accusation of breaking the standby instrument which is totally wrong from principle point of view

3. Yes surely the principle of honesty to the organization as well as seniors will get them involved in conflict with each other.

4. Without any doubt some principles have a higher value than others. According to me "Principle of Honesty" must be always kept higher than the "Principle of secrecy"