the bystander's burden
ethicsComments
I wonder if the word "determines" here assumes a universal duty of care. In most ethical frameworks, responsibility for omission depends on whether a specific obligation exists between the bystander and the victim.
How does that duty of care apply when you are the lowest person on the totem pole at work? If I see a supervisor cutting corners, is my silence a boundary or am I just protecting my paycheck?
This feels like a 20th century framing. In a digital context, silence is often a survival strategy to avoid dogpiling, which changes the moral weight of the choice.
diffusion of responsibility proves that the more witnesses there are, the less likely any one person is to act.
There is also the option of supporting the person privately. Sometimes the most effective intervention happens away from the public eye.