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I came accross the following Onlooker article from 2002. I think it's rather apt to read now, bearing in mind the potential crisis around the corner that is remote supervision. I particularly think the part I've highlighted in bold is fitting - I have never had enough faith in any tech that I've ever worked with to feel confident enough to appoint them as my representative!
Facing the music
One of the prominent features of our time is the unwillingness of individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions. Politicians are notorious for their almost invariable custom of passing the buck to someone who is in the sad situation of having no alternative but to hold it.
Incidentally, the expression "passing the buck" is attributed to Mark Twain in 1872, and its logic is obscure. The alternative expression "carry the can" is older, and believed to refer to menial tasks carried out by subordinates and slaves. To be responsible is to be accountable to someone, in the last resort oneself. It means, in its critical sense, culpable morally, legally or causally for some deed done or neglected.
Ascription of responsibility depends upon an individual's state of mind at the time of an action. Violence may be excused, at least legally, if the perpetrator took action in the belief that his or her life was in danger and that there was no way of evading the confrontation. Action under orders from a superior official may be legally valid but morally indefensible. Much depends on the role of the person in an organisation.
Role responsibility may be professional or social, and involves expertise. To be a responsible pharmacist one is obliged to maintain a high level of expertise; hence the enormous importance of continuing study and evidence from examination results. Apart from accepting responsibility for actions and decisions carried out personally, a pharmacist has to face the challenge of delegating responsibility, which is sometimes difficult. We know that there are situations where a trained assistant has to be relied upon, since a pharmacist cannot be in two places at the same time, or perform two tasks simultaneously. To delegate means to appoint as a representative, and critical judgement is required to do it safely and effectively.
Thus W. B. Yeats was right when he remarked that ''In dreams begins responsibility" — perhaps nightmare might be a more apt word. And Bernard Shaw took the cynical approach when he stated in 'Man and superman' (l903): ''Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
One of the prominent features of our time is the unwillingness of individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and decisions. Politicians are notorious for their almost invariable custom of passing the buck to someone who is in the sad situation of having no alternative but to hold it.
Incidentally, the expression "passing the buck" is attributed to Mark Twain in 1872, and its logic is obscure. The alternative expression "carry the can" is older, and believed to refer to menial tasks carried out by subordinates and slaves. To be responsible is to be accountable to someone, in the last resort oneself. It means, in its critical sense, culpable morally, legally or causally for some deed done or neglected.
Ascription of responsibility depends upon an individual's state of mind at the time of an action. Violence may be excused, at least legally, if the perpetrator took action in the belief that his or her life was in danger and that there was no way of evading the confrontation. Action under orders from a superior official may be legally valid but morally indefensible. Much depends on the role of the person in an organisation.
Role responsibility may be professional or social, and involves expertise. To be a responsible pharmacist one is obliged to maintain a high level of expertise; hence the enormous importance of continuing study and evidence from examination results. Apart from accepting responsibility for actions and decisions carried out personally, a pharmacist has to face the challenge of delegating responsibility, which is sometimes difficult. We know that there are situations where a trained assistant has to be relied upon, since a pharmacist cannot be in two places at the same time, or perform two tasks simultaneously. To delegate means to appoint as a representative, and critical judgement is required to do it safely and effectively.
Thus W. B. Yeats was right when he remarked that ''In dreams begins responsibility" — perhaps nightmare might be a more apt word. And Bernard Shaw took the cynical approach when he stated in 'Man and superman' (l903): ''Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
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