Final answer:
Ethical responsibilities are difficult to handle due to undefined societal expectations for ethical behavior the discretionary nature of these responsibilities and the necessary weighing of competing duties in applied ethics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Why are ethical responsibilities difficult to deal with? this question can be tackled by considering various aspects of applied ethics and the challenges it poses in the context of business and emerging technologies. Ethical responsibilities are difficult because determining one's duty often requires weighing competing moral obligations, which are not absolute and can conflict with each other. For example, ethical responsibilities may come into conflict with legal responsibilities, as legality does not always align with moral rightness.
Corporations face significant challenges in shouldering responsibilities for social, economic, and environmental problems. This is partly because there's a lack of clear-cut definitions for ethical behavior within society and because ethical considerations can vary greatly based on cultural, temporal and contextual circumstances. Moreover, as technologies evolve, they bring forth new ethical dilemmas that require the application of interdisciplinary knowledge to navigate the moral landscape effectively. applied ethics involves reflecting on real-world situations to determine the right action, drawing upon ethical principles and weighing competing duties like the principles found in deontology and utilitarianism. for instance, Sir William David Ross highlighted the complexity of ethical responsibilities by pointing out the oversimplification in classic ethical theories and introducing the concept of prima facie duties which are multiple and sometimes competing ethical obligations that must be considered in a given situation. therefore, decision-making in applied ethics often involves deliberation among various ethical imperatives, with respect to context and potential implications.