PHIL 329 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Making Money, W. M. Keck Observatory, Marriage In The Catholic Church
Document Summary
Involves an individual who has access to the corruption at a corporation which puts the public in harm"s way. The individual has a decision to make about revealing the information to a journalist. If he reveals it then he is referred to as a whistleblower. Does whistleblowing always involve doing an evil? (violating loyalty) Bok & bowie - yes, it always involves a violation of loyalty vs. avoiding harm to public, or leaving the public in harm"s way. Bok suggests we have special duty of loyalty to the company. When you whistleblow, you do more than bringing harsh consequences to the violators. It ruins the company"s reputation, which could affect the company"s ability to make a profit, which could lead to employees losing jobs. Bok therefore suggests that whistleblowing should be seen as a last resort given all the negative consequences that could be generated.