Exam 6: Integrity, Secrecy, and Trust

Sissela Bok | Whistleblowing and Professional Responsibility Bok looks at what whistleblowers have in common with each other and what they must consider in making the difficult moral choice to speak out. Whistle-blowing involves dissent, breach of loyalty, and accusation-all of which require accuracy, fairness, and good judgment. A whistleblower must also be careful to compensate for potential bias involving personal gain or revenge. -According to Bok, whistleblowing should only be considered as a

Sissela Bok | Whistleblowing and Professional Responsibility Bok looks at what whistleblowers have in common with each other and what they must consider in making the difficult moral choice to speak out. Whistle-blowing involves dissent, breach of loyalty, and accusation-all of which require accuracy, fairness, and good judgment. A whistleblower must also be careful to compensate for potential bias involving personal gain or revenge. -Whistle-blowing is seen by superiors as a violation of loyalty and as a(n)

Amy Gutmann | Can Virtue Be Taught to Lawyers? Gutmann asks first what constitutes legal virtue and follows with discussions of the standard conception ("zealous advocacy") , the justice conception (social justice) , and the character conception (practical judgment) . All three are incomplete, according to Gutmann, lacking an emphasis on the importance of the deliberative virtues. These provide for a robust give-and-take between lawyer and client, such that the lawyer understands the client's goals, can inform the client of strategic legal options, and work together to arrive at a solution within or outside the adversary system. -Criticism of the standard conception of legal virtue includes the fact that it

Case 6.2: Megan Rickel, "Blowing the Whistle in Iraq" -"I was only following orders" is a phrase that brings chilling historical memories to mind, as in the Nazi guards at World War II concentration camps. At what point do you think one's moral compass ought to "kick in" to stop unethical behavior? Is there such a point?

Cheshire Calhoun | Standing for Something Calhoun presents the differences between personal and social virtues as well as those that are both. Integrity, according to Calhoun, is best understood as a social virtue, since much that is relevant to integrity cannot be explained merely from a personal point of view. She explains why hypocrisy, the shame of failure, and our support of the courageous are all best understood within the context of our relation to others in society. -When integrity is considered to be a ___________, the loss of integrity means that some part of selfhood has been lost.

Case 6.1: Charles F. Squire, "Is It Ethical to Criticize Other Dentists' Work?" -If a patient can waive confidentiality outside of the examination room, what does this mean for the professional, who is obliged to abide by it?

How does the complicity theory of whistleblowing avoid the three paradoxes Davis presents in his criticism of the standard theory? Do you agree with Davis that his theory improves on the standard understanding of whistleblowing? Why or why not?