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Ethics of Negligence

Shawn April 20, 2020 at 18:49 4975 views 19 comments
In the United States, there's a special occupation with negligence.

Negligence is something intimately related to care. Care seems to be a version of a more feminine side of ethics rather than the masculine version of its lack-of. I find this paradoxical, that the US is so concerned with negative ethics as defined as 'negligence'.

I ask the reader to analyze as to why negligence is such an important feature of US law? What is it about embracing a negative view of ethics that drives decision making in the court of law in the US?

Comments (19)

Deleted User April 20, 2020 at 19:14 #403804
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Shawn April 20, 2020 at 19:15 #403806
Quoting tim wood
I am under the impression that in US law, negligence only comes into play when there already exists a prior positive obligation of care.


Not really. Lack of knowledge about the law is a form of negligence in the US!
Deleted User April 20, 2020 at 19:18 #403808
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Shawn April 20, 2020 at 19:24 #403809
Quoting tim wood
Now you're confused and confusing. Not knowing the law is not exculpatory with respect to guilt - ignorance not an excuse! But you have to be guilty of something, first.


Yeah; but, as a Kantian yourself, doesn't negligence stand as a form of lack of duty or its detriment? I've always viewed law in the US as neo-Kantian???
Deleted User April 20, 2020 at 19:38 #403810
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Shawn April 20, 2020 at 20:05 #403818
Quoting tim wood
No. Now it's time for you to give a definition of negligence. At the moment it's a moving target.


No it's not:

https://www.google.com/search?q=negligence

Same shit in every dictionary. Fundamentally, a lack of care.

Shawn April 20, 2020 at 20:07 #403819
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/negligence

Definition
A failure to behave with the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances. The behavior usually consists of actions, but can also consist of omissions when there is some duty to act (e.g., a duty to help victims of one's previous conduct).

Overview
Primary factors to consider in ascertaining whether the person's conduct lacks reasonable care are the foreseeable likelihood that the person's conduct will result in harm, the foreseeable severity of any harm that may ensue, and the burden of precautions to eliminate or reduce the risk of harm. See Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Physical Harm § 3 (P.F.D. No. 1, 2005). Negligent conduct may consist of either an act, or an omission to act when there is a duty to do so. See Restatement (Second) of Torts § 282 (1965).

Four elements are required to establish a prima facie case of negligence:

the existence of a legal duty that the defendant owed to the plaintiff
defendant's breach of that duty
plaintiff's sufferance of an injury
proof that defendant's breach caused the injury (typically defined through proximate cause)
Deleted User April 20, 2020 at 20:14 #403821
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Shawn April 20, 2020 at 20:16 #403823
Reply to tim wood

A comforting thought, eh? American lawyers are really closet Kantians, haha!

:cool:
Banno April 21, 2020 at 00:19 #403863
It's not surprising that a nation that idolises "self-reliance" should find it necessary to enforce laws against negligence. Caring for other people is not part of the 'mercan way.

Seeing 'mercans protesting to be allowed to make each other sick... leaves the rest of humanity non-plussed.

User image
Pussycat April 21, 2020 at 00:36 #403870
They seem like nice people.
Banno April 21, 2020 at 00:39 #403873
Reply to Pussycat Yeah. Which only makes it weirder.
Shawn April 21, 2020 at 00:47 #403876
Reply to Banno

Must be the fluoride in the water or some nice chemicals in the air or bleach white bread.
Shawn April 21, 2020 at 01:17 #403883
Reply to Banno

Look, Americans are good people. They just don't want to live in fear despite bed fed it 24/7.
Banno April 21, 2020 at 01:21 #403887
Reply to Shawn Yeah... just, wtf?
Deleted User April 21, 2020 at 03:30 #403917
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Banno April 21, 2020 at 04:11 #403929
Reply to tim wood Hey, that's a bit rude...


...oh, morMons
TheMadFool April 21, 2020 at 10:43 #403984
Reply to Shawn Maybe, an emphasis on negligence, the curtailment thereof, is common sense: take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves. :chin: Make negligence punishable and people will perform their duty well
Frank Apisa April 21, 2020 at 13:57 #404023
Quoting Banno
Banno
7.4k
It's not surprising that a nation that idolises "self-reliance" should find it necessary to enforce laws against negligence. Caring for other people is not part of the 'mercan way.

Seeing 'mercans protesting to be allowed to make each other sick... leaves the rest of humanity non-plussed.


They do seem like nice people...and, as you mentioned, that "only makes it weirder."

What on Earth could they be thinking...assuming they are "thinking?"