The traps of procedural ethics – Jeffrey Bulger's concept

The article analyzes the risk associated with over-reliance on procedures, which can lead to the paradox of formal success coupled with moral failure. The author discusses phenomena such as ethical drift and checkbox ethics, where mechanical checklist completion replaces real responsibility for the consequences of actions. Drawing on the theories of Max Weber and Robert Merton, the text points to the danger of 'learned incapacity' and ethical fading, in which moral decisions are coded as technical or business problems. The key conclusion is the distinction between compliance and ethics: while the former checks adherence to rules, the latter questions the adequacy of those rules and the real protection of the user from harm.