Question

Bertie, a truck driver, is told by the boss, Percy, to quickly deliver a load of steel and to get to the location within an hour. Bertie replied, "That's impossible—I'd have to go 90 miles per hour to do that." Percy said, "Well, you'd best get started." Not surprisingly, Bertie was stopped by a highway patrol officer and fined for both speeding and reckless driving. At court, Bertie told the judge that the ruling should be "not guilty" because Bertie was only acting upon orders of Bertie’s boss. Is this reasoning correct?

Answer 1

This reasoning is not correct. In this example, Bertie's boss convinces him of breaking the law in order to fulfill his order. Bertie does so, even though he is aware that this is a wrong action (this is clear from his surprised reaction and reluctance to carry out the order). However, even though Percy asked him to perform the action, Bertie would still be considered to be guilty due to the fact that he was ultimately the one who carried out an action that was illegal and dangerous.