NCM108
WEEK 4
ROSS ETHICS
OVERVIEW
WILLIAM DAVID ROSS
• He is best known for his important contributions to moral
philosophy and the study of classical literature. In the
field of classical studies, in addition to shorter works on
Plato and Aristotle, his major triumph was his editorship
of the Oxford English translations of Aristotle’s complete
works, a production of historic magnitude and impact.
ROSS’S THEORY
ACTUAL/PRIMA FACIE DUTY
• Prima facie is a Latin term that is commonly understood
to mean “on the first appearance” or “based on the first
impression.” According to Ross, a prima facie duty is a
duty that is binding or obligatory, other things being
equal.
• Common examples include the duty to tell the truth, obey
the law, protect people from harm, and keep one’s
promises.
• By contrast with prima facie duties, our actual or concrete
duty is the duty we should perform in the particular
situation of choice. Whatever one's actual duty is, one is
morally bound to perform it.
FIDELITY
• Ross describes them as "those resting on a promise or
what may fairly be called an implicit promise, such as the
implicit undertaking not to tell lies which seems to be
implied in the act of entering into conversation.
• We should strive to keep promises and be honest and
truthful
REPARATION
• This is a duty to make up for the injuries one has done to
others. Ross describes this duty as "resting on a previous
wrongful act"
• We should make amends when we have wronged
someone else.
GRATITUDE
• We should be grateful to others when they perform
actions that benefit us and we should try to return the
favor.
• Duties to repay or redo favors or simply thank others for
their kindness towards us.
JUSTICE
• Justice is fairness, preventing a distribution of pleasure
or happiness that is not in keeping with the ment of the
people involve
• Example:
o Giving proper care to all the patients, according
to what she/he deserves. For example, two
patients arrive at the same time; the first is
severe, but she/he seems to be unable to pay,
but the second is not severe and seems to have
the means to pay. At that point, the nurse
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chooses the second patient since she or he can
pay. This is incorrect; nurses' care must be
provided equally, justly, and equitably among a
group of patients.
BENEFICENCE
• Beneficence is defined as kindness and charity, which
requires action on the part of the nurse to benefit others.
• When we say beneficence doing good and the right thing
for the patient
• Principles of beneficence is the obligation of physicians
to act for the benefit of the patient and support the
number of moral rules to protect and defend the right of
others.
o For example, holding a dying patient hand.
Which symbolizes that even in his/her last
breath you are there, not because she/he is
your patient but because you are already attach
with each other.
IMPROVEMENT
• The duties of self-improvement posit self-care as
important ethical behavior. Perform acts that make you a
better person.
• The duty of self-improvement is to act so as to promote
one's own good, one's own health, security, wisdom,
moral goodness, and happiness.
• For example, as a manager, if you see something wrong,
you need to outline it and find the root of the problem to
solve it. This will help us to improve ourselves by knowing
how it started, because of that I am able to think on how
can I solve the problem by myself, we can also make new
plans and improve that.
NONMALEFICENCE
The principle of nonmaleficence holds that there is an obligation
not to inflict harm on others. It is closely associated with the maxim
primum non nocere (first do no harm).
For example, A 52-year-old man passes out in the street
complaining of terrible, sudden abdominal discomfort.
Unexpectedly, a surgeon examines the man because he thinks he
might be about to rupture his appendix. The surgeon determines
that removing the appendix in its original place using his go-to pen-
knife is the best course of action.
From a beneficence perspective, successfully removing the
appendix from its original place would certainly improve the
patient’s life.
BENEFICENCE VS NONMALEFICENCE
• Beneficence doing the good and right thing for the patient
while non-maleficence does not cause harm.
• For example, according to Mr. Mata says " In the
Vaccination area, nurses inject the Pfizer to the patient
for them to be protected from the covid-19 which is the
beneficence. After that the nurse depose the syringe in
the proper disposal to not cause harm to the other people
(non-maleficence).