News and an Ethical Question

I have not totally disappeared from the blogosphere but being on vacation in a place where there is only one wifi spot inside the common room of the little restored village, I have not had the opportunity for much online presence. Besides I am also busy with visiting lots of fantastic places and enjoying the beauties of Italian nature and architecture.

This morning I finished The Sunday Philosophy Club by Aleaxander McCall Smith – the author of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series. It is a fine holiday read where the main character has a keen interest in ethics. Here is a passage which caught my attention. Two characters are discussing whether one of them should help and get involved after witnessing a crime and they get into a debate about involvement and moral duty in general.

“We can’t have moral obligations to every person in this world. We have a moral obligation to those we come up against, who enter our moral space, so to speak. That means neighbours, people we deal with, and so on.”

Do you agree?

New Ethical Post

My latest post was about a village where quite a number of people had taken it on themselves to hide Jews, and thus save them, although their lives were at stake. In occupied France during WWII, they probably risked being shot (as a deterrent), being sent to jail and/or being deported.

One of my favorite bloggers commented on this post wondering “how common it was to have a cluster of Righteous individuals living in one place? In other words, did more of the Righteous come from places where their neighbors also saved Jews? Or were most Righteous individuals the only ones in their areas helping Jews?”

Her question led me to ask myself whether people (including myself) are more likely to behave morally if they neighbors/friends act ethically or whether they would do so whatever the circumstances.

I have a few ideas on this issue but would love to read what you think before sharing my own thoughts.

Because You Love My Ethical Dilemmas

As some of you may know, there was a problem with my cooktop a few weeks ago which meant getting a new one. For organizational and technical reasons, the new top hasn’t been installed yet.

Before it is finally fixed some verifications were necessary. Thus the electrician who set up the electrical network in the kitchen almost four years ago came this morning to examine the compatibility and safety of a socket. However he did it too quicky, decided nothing had to be changed and left. As I had some doubts about his conclusions, I checked online and in a shop and it seems he was wrong.

Fortunately the problem might soon be solved since there is another compatible socket next to the one he was supposed to change. Apparently the new top will be plugged into that one instead of the older one. The problem is that this guy didn’t do what he was supposed to do and also that he literally reeked of alcohol – at eight in the morning.

Should I get int touch with his employer and complain although we can install the new top? What should I complain about?