Case Studies
Kim is a celebrated author at the end of her life. On her deathbed she is visited by her protege, Marco. Kim says that she feels a sense of fulfilment and completion looking back her on life, with the exception of one regret. She never published her favorite collection of essays, one that she has kept hidden for years. She tells Marco where to find the collection of essays and asks him to promise that he will submit the essays (just as they are) to her publisher after she dies. He promises her that he will.
After Kim's death, Marco retrieves the collection of essays to fulfill his promise to Kim. When he reads them, he discovers that they are full of scandalous and shameful personal details about the lives of other famous authors, many of whom are still alive. Marco knows that if the collection is published, the people discussed in the essays will be publicly shamed, and their reputations will be forever tarnished. He feels unsure about whether to send the essays to Kim's publisher after all.
-What is the morally right thing for Marco to do in this case? Is there just one morally permissible course of action?

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Kim is a celebrated author at the end of her life. On her deathbed she is visited by her protege, Marco. Kim says that she feels a sense of fulfilment and completion looking back her on life, with the exception of one regret. She never published her favorite collection of essays, one that she has kept hidden for years. She tells Marco where to find the collection of essays and asks him to promise that he will submit the essays (just as they are) to her publisher after she dies. He promises her that he will.
After Kim's death, Marco retrieves the collection of essays to fulfill his promise to Kim. When he reads them, he discovers that they are full of scandalous and shameful personal details about the lives of other famous authors, many of whom are still alive. Marco knows that if the collection is published, the people discussed in the essays will be publicly shamed, and their reputations will be forever tarnished. He feels unsure about whether to send the essays to Kim's publisher after all.
-What is the morally right thing for Marco to do in this case? Is there just one morally permissible course of action?

Case Studies Kim Is a Celebrated Author at the End of Her