Should officials bend rules for compassion?
Side one
Rules ensure fairness
Bending rules for one person is unfair to others and invites corruption.
Max Weber: Bureaucracy and Authority · Kant: Duty and Dignity · NoiseSide two
Compassion humanises
Rigid rules can produce cruel results; discretion lets officials serve people.
Gandhi: Truth and Nonviolence · Albert Schweitzer: Reverence for Life · Armstrong Pame: The People's RoadCommon ground
Both want just administration.
How to reconcile them
Use discretion within the law's purpose, transparently recorded, and fix rules that repeatedly fail people.
When each side is right
Stress rules for fairness and anti-corruption. Stress compassion for vulnerable cases.
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