Case Study: Imagine That Jesse Has Promised a Friend That He Will

question 21

Essay

Case Study:
Imagine that Jesse has promised a friend that he will pick her up from the airport when she arrives in town. Her flight is arriving soon, and Jesse is getting ready to leave to pick her up, when he suddenly gets a phone call about an exciting job opportunity. Jesse has been looking for a new job for some time, and this one would be particularly good for him in a variety of ways. However, there's a catch-the job needs to be filled right away, and so if he cannot come in right now and interview for it, it will go to someone else. Jesse knows it is strongly in his interest for him to go to the interview but also that doing so would mean breaking a promise. He also knows that whether or not he keeps his promise makes a relatively minor difference in his friend's life compared to the difference in his life is he gets the job.
-Is this a case of conflict between moral duty and self-interest? Do you think Kant was right that moral duty always overrides other demands? Why or why not?

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Definitions:

Midclavicular Line

A vertical line drawn through the midpoint of the clavicle, often used as a reference in medical assessments.

Myocardial Infarction

A medical condition, commonly known as a heart attack, resulting from the interruption of blood flow to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die.

Heart Failure

A medical condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently throughout the body, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, and fluid retention.

Jugular Vein Pulsations

Observable pulsing of the jugular veins in the neck, which can indicate the heart's function and central venous pressure.