My question concerns ethics and moral obligation. One of my professors consistently presents views that are unsupported, and the content of our class is restricted to reading authors who agree with her political position. I find this irritating, and I object to that kind of indoctrination. But I have more or less remained silent. Recently, however, she had a guest speaker present a very anti-medical view to the class, and discouraged them from listening to their doctors concerning the health risks of obesity. I did some independent research on the information the speaker presented, and found that the information she used was false or misleading. I think that allowing the speaker to present this slanted information, while presenting no contrary opinions from doctors or scientists, was irresponsible and dangerous. I'm worried that these girls will take this advice to heart and ignore their doctors, which will ultimately hurt their health. I kept my mouth shut when I was simply irritated, but now I'm actually concerned for their welfare and I feel that I might have a moral obligation to share the studies I've found with my classmates. If I do so, however, it will make me a pariah in the class. The teacher already singles me out for voicing contrary opinions. Am I required to act because the well-being of others is at stake, or is it supererogatory? When, if ever, are we required to publicly take an unpopular stance against something we view as immoral? What is the prof's responsibility for the students' health? What are the students' responsibilities here, and how do they affect my obligations to them?
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