The Seven Prima Facie Duties

1. duty of fidelity
- be faithful to our duties
- tell the truth and keep promises
- dont represent fiction as truth
- infarctions:
> treachery
> deception
> hypocrisy
> betrayal
> lying
> trickery
> double dealing
> insincerity
> duplicity
> cunning/craftiness

Bella is a nurse in a government hospital. A patient is going to undergo bone marrow aspiration, which is a very painful procedure. Bella who does not observe her duty of fidelity, tells her patient, "It's going to be alright. It is not painful. It's just like an ant's bite."



2. duty of reparation
- make amends of injury, righting the wrongs.

Ashton accidentally pushes his classmate Jenna. Jenna falls and breaks a leg. She gets confined to the hospital. The next day, Ashton sends her flowers and fruits.

Lilia aborted her baby three years ago. After graduating in college, she puts up an orphanage who fosters abandoned children and young mothers.



3. duty of gratitude
- appreciate and recognize

Boss Harry observes one of his employees, Arnold's diligence. Arnold is also considered an asset of the company because of his excellent skills. Therefore he raises his salary, adding a thousand more monthly.

Sandra's schooling is sponsored by a widow in the United States. So show gratitude, she does good in school, maintaining a spot in the Dean's list.



4. duty of justice
- proper distribution of social benefits and burdens

Eleven boy scouts went to the woods for a three day camping. Their leader, John, divides their jobs equally, as the cook, dishwasher, cleaner etc.



5. duty of beneficence
- good for others
- balancing the good
- requires the provision and balancing of benefits

A private school's population grew by 34% this year. So the management also planned to give health benefits to the employees.



6. duty of self-improvement
- help others better themselves
- duty to improve and develop ourselves
- this duty goes hand-in-hand with other duties

Tori observes that her classmate Neil is slow in understand their lesson in math. So she approaches him and offers her help with the lesson.

Gerald is a smoker since highschool. Then he realizes that he should take care of his health when his father dies of lung cancer. So he decides to quit smoking by undergoing all sorts of therapies.



7. duty of non malificence
- "do no harm"
- prevent evil or harm

Doctor Bonbon does not observe his duty of non malificence. He performs surgeries even under the influence of alcohol. He administers drugs without counterchecking the dose and if it is the right drug.