Final answer:
The assumption of an obligation for which another party is primarily liable can be associated with the concept of prima facie duties in Ross's moral philosophy, which include duties of fidelity, reparation, gratitude, to promote good, and non-maleficence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assumption of an obligation for which another party is primarily liable relates to assuming a responsibility that is not initially your own. In philosophy terms, particularly in the realm of moral philosophy, this can be associated with William David Ross's concept of prima facie duties. Ross's theory suggests that we have various moral commitments, such as a duty of fidelity, duty of reparation, duty of gratitude, the duty to promote the maximum good, and the duty of non-maleficence. These duties are not absolute; they are context-dependent and are weighed against each other in situations with conflicting moral responsibilities to discern our actual duty.
Ross's view, although not addressing legal liabilities directly, is akin to the belief that individuals must accept certain moral and political obligations as members of society, a concept intimately related to the social contract. In real-life scenarios, such as witnessing a car accident while on the way to an appointment, Ross would argue that your prima facie duty to help might outweigh your duty to be timely for your appointment, given the greater moral urgency of the situation.
Judgment plays a key role in these scenarios, as we often need to rank our relevant prima facie duties and assess the facts to determine which takes precedence as our actual duty. This is how Ross conceptualized the resolution of conflicts between various moral obligations.