Is Whistleblowing a Duty?

Recent years have seen a number of whistleblowers risk their liberty to expose illegal and corrupt behaviour. Some have heralded their bravery; others see them as traitors. Can there be a moral duty to emulate their example and blow the whistle?

In this book, leading political philosophers Emanuela Ceva and Michele Bocchiola draw on well-known cases, such as those of Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, to probe the difference between permissible and dutiful whistleblowing. They argue that, insofar as whistleblowing is understood as an individual act of dissent, it falls short of constituting a duty, although it can be praiseworthy. Whistleblowing should, they contend, be seen as an institutional duty, embedded within the organizational practices of public accountability.

This concise book will be invaluable for students and scholars of applied political theory, and political and professional ethics.

Emanuela Ceva is Professor of Theories of Justice and Democracy, University of Geneva.

Michele Bocchiola is Research Fellow in Political Philosophy at the University of Pavia.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Defining Whistleblowing

Chapter 2: The Practice of Whistleblowing as a Duty

Chapter 3: Whistleblowing: Personal Trust, Secrecy, and Public Accountability

Conclusion

References

Notes

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