May Peralta

BSN – 1G

Duty and Agency

As human beings, we each have our own duties and responsibilities to

fulfill, and it is our obligation to ensure that we carry out these
responsibilities effectively. But then again, what precisely are our duties
are? A duty may be thought of as an obligation or debt owed to something
that is greater than ourselves; it is an obligation for which another person
may hold us liable. Agency has something to do with the power to make
decisions and act in a given situation. People who behave as agents do so
because they have a clear idea of the purpose of their actions and the
means by which they will be accomplished. As opposed to utilitarianism,
an adherent to duty-based ethics, must do what is right even if it causes
more damage than would the alternative. For example, if you knew that
cheating was wrong and you saw your friend doing it, you would do the
right thing by telling her partner the truth and not allowing him to
continue doing it, even if it meant the end of their relationship and your
friendship because you were conscious of the fact that it was the ethical
thing to do.