What is Moral Responsibility?
Summary
TLDRMoral responsibility refers to the status of being deserving of praise, blame, reward, or punishment based on one's actions or omissions, in line with moral obligations. This concept is tied to the 'reactive attitudes' like resentment, indignation, and gratitude, introduced by philosopher Peter Strawson. However, moral responsibility is distinct from causal responsibility, as only persons, not animals or inanimate objects, can be morally responsible. Philosophers debate what qualifies someone to be an appropriate target for moral attitudes and practices, with factors like personhood and maturity, such as in the case of children, playing a role.
Takeaways
- 😀 Moral responsibility refers to the status of deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an action or omission based on moral obligations.
- 🤔 If an agent is morally responsible for their actions, they can be the target of certain attitudes and practices, such as resentment, indignation, gratitude, and approval.
- 😠 Peter Strawson referred to these attitudes as 'reactive attitudes,' which include emotions like resentment or approval.
- 🙌 A morally responsible agent can also be subject to practices like praise, blame, reward, and punishment.
- 📜 Moral responsibility differs from causal responsibility—someone can be causally responsible for an event without being morally responsible for it.
- 💧 For example, if a person spills water on a computer, they are both causally and morally responsible. However, if a cat spills water, the cat is causally responsible but not morally responsible.
- 🐱 The reason cats are not morally responsible is that they are not persons, and only persons can be held morally responsible for their actions.
- 👶 Not all persons are morally responsible. For instance, children are generally not considered fully responsible for their actions.
- 🧐 Philosophers disagree on the exact conditions under which a person is morally responsible and what makes someone an appropriate target for reactive attitudes.
- ⚖️ Deciding what counts as a moral obligation is a key concern in ethics, shaping our understanding of moral responsibility.
Q & A
What is moral responsibility?
-Moral responsibility is the status of being morally deserving of praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations.
How does moral responsibility differ from causal responsibility?
-Causal responsibility refers to being the cause of something happening, while moral responsibility includes being the appropriate target of attitudes like resentment or gratitude. One can be causally responsible without being morally responsible.
What are reactive attitudes according to Peter Strawson?
-Reactive attitudes, as described by Peter Strawson, are emotional responses like resentment, indignation, gratitude, and approval, which we direct toward agents who are morally responsible for their actions.
Can non-human agents, such as animals, be morally responsible?
-No, non-human agents like animals cannot be morally responsible. For example, if a cat spills water on a computer, it cannot be held morally responsible, even though it is causally responsible for the damage.
Why are some persons, such as children, not always considered morally responsible?
-Children are persons but are generally not taken to be fully responsible for their actions because they may lack the full capacity to understand the moral implications of their actions.
What role does moral obligation play in moral responsibility?
-Moral obligation determines what actions or omissions an agent is responsible for. An agent is morally responsible if they fail to meet their moral obligations.
What kind of attitudes and practices can a morally responsible agent be the target of?
-A morally responsible agent can be the target of reactive attitudes such as resentment and approval, as well as practices like praise, blame, reward, and punishment.
Can a person be causally responsible but not morally responsible? Provide an example.
-Yes, a person can be causally responsible but not morally responsible. For example, if you accidentally spill water on my computer, you are causally responsible for the damage but may not be morally responsible if it was an honest mistake.
Why is deciding what counts as morally obligatory a key concern of ethics?
-Determining what counts as morally obligatory is crucial because it defines the standards by which we judge whether someone is morally responsible for their actions.
Do all philosophers agree on what makes someone morally responsible?
-No, philosophers disagree about the conditions that make someone morally responsible. There are different views on what makes an individual an appropriate target for reactive attitudes like praise and blame.
Outlines
🤔 What is Moral Responsibility?
This paragraph introduces the concept of moral responsibility. It states that when an agent is morally responsible for their actions, those actions make them a suitable subject for certain reactions, such as resentment, indignation, gratitude, or approval. These reactions, known as reactive attitudes, along with practices like praise, blame, reward, and punishment, can be directed toward morally responsible agents. In short, moral responsibility entails deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment based on one's moral obligations.
🧠 Distinguishing Moral and Causal Responsibility
The paragraph emphasizes the difference between moral and causal responsibility. One can be causally responsible for an event without being morally responsible. For example, if a person spills water on a computer, they are both causally and morally responsible, making them open to blame. However, if a cat causes the same spill, the cat is causally responsible but not morally responsible, as it is not a suitable target for reactive attitudes like resentment. Only persons can be morally responsible, though not all persons—such as children—are fully morally accountable.
🗣 Philosophical Debate on Moral Responsibility
This section highlights that not all persons are morally responsible, such as children, who are generally not considered fully accountable for their actions. It notes that philosophers disagree on what conditions make someone morally responsible, especially in determining what makes a person the proper target for attitudes like praise or blame. The paragraph underlines that the criteria for moral responsibility are a central point of debate in ethics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Moral Responsibility
💡Causal Responsibility
💡Reactive Attitudes
💡Praise and Blame
💡Moral Obligations
💡Personhood
💡Peter Strawson
💡Indignation
💡Children and Moral Responsibility
💡Ethics
Highlights
Moral responsibility involves being an appropriate target for attitudes like resentment, gratitude, and approval.
A morally responsible agent can be the target for practices of praise, blame, reward, and punishment.
Moral responsibility refers to deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for actions in line with one's moral obligations.
Deciding what is morally obligatory is a central concern in ethics.
Moral responsibility should be distinguished from causal responsibility; being causally responsible doesn't imply moral responsibility.
An example of causal vs moral responsibility: if a person spills water on a computer, they are both causally and morally responsible.
If a cat spills water on a computer, the cat is causally responsible but not morally responsible.
Cats are not appropriate targets for reactive attitudes like resentment because they are not persons.
Only persons can be morally responsible for their actions.
Not all persons are morally responsible for their actions; for example, children are not generally considered fully responsible.
Philosophers disagree about the conditions under which persons are morally responsible.
Philosophers debate what makes someone an appropriate target for reactive attitudes such as praise and blame.
The concept of moral responsibility is tied to one's ability to meet moral obligations.
Reactive attitudes, as described by Peter Strawson, are emotional responses such as resentment or gratitude that presuppose moral responsibility.
Moral responsibility is based on the idea of being deserving of certain social reactions due to one's actions or omissions.
Transcripts
what is moral responsibility
if an agent is morally responsible for
her actions then those actions can make
her the appropriate target of certain
attitudes and practices
a morally responsible agent can be an
appropriate target for what peter straw
son dubbed the reactive attitudes
these include resentment indignation
gratitude and approval
she can also be the appropriate target
for our practices of praise blame reward
and punishment
moral responsibility therefore is the
status of morally deserving praise blame
reward or punishment for an act or
omission in accordance with one's moral
obligations
and deciding what if anything counts as
morally obligatory is a principal
concern of ethics
it is important to distinguish moral
responsibility from causal
responsibility
one can be causally responsible for
something but not morally responsible
for it
for instance if you spill a glass of
water on my computer then you are
causally responsible for the damage that
ensues
you are also morally responsible as it
could be appropriate for me to resent
you for not being more careful
if however it is my cat that spills the
water then the cat though just as
causally responsible for the damage as
you would be is not morally responsible
it makes no sense for me to resent my
cat
cats just are not an appropriate target
for the reactive attitudes
it is fairly easy to see why the cat is
not morally responsible the cat is not a
person and only persons can be morally
responsible for their actions
however not all persons are morally
responsible for their actions
for instance children are persons but
are not generally taken to be fully
responsible for their actions
but it is important to note that
philosophers disagree about the
conditions under which persons are
morally responsible
about just what makes someone an
appropriate target for reactive
attitudes and practices of praise and
blame
you
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