Samaritanism

Chapter 5 shows why the Samaritan duty, which requires rescuing those in peril or dire need when one can do so at reasonable cost to oneself, can impose obligations of disobedience and resistance. It argues first for a Samaritan duty to break laws that prohibit Samaritan rescues. Second, the chapter contends that “persistent Samaritan perils”—which arise when injustice generates, enables, and aggravates Samaritan perils, making them pervasive and frequent—impose duties to resist injustice. Citizens are passers-by witnessing persistent Samaritan perils. They are well positioned to fulfill the duty to rescue by eliminating the injustice at the root of the peril. Through acts of principled disobedience, they can seek to reform unjust laws, policies, and institutions.