Against Moral Responsibility

Against Moral Responsibility
Title Against Moral Responsibility PDF eBook
Author Bruce N. Waller
Publisher MIT Press
Pages 365
Release 2024-12-10
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 0262553813

Download Against Moral Responsibility Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A vigorous attack on moral responsibility in all its forms argues that the abolition of moral responsibility will be liberating and beneficial. In Against Moral Responsibility, Bruce Waller launches a spirited attack on a system that is profoundly entrenched in our society and its institutions, deeply rooted in our emotions, and vigorously defended by philosophers from ancient times to the present. Waller argues that, despite the creative defenses of it by contemporary thinkers, moral responsibility cannot survive in our naturalistic-scientific system. The scientific understanding of human behavior and the causes that shape human character, he contends, leaves no room for moral responsibility. Waller argues that moral responsibility in all its forms—including criminal justice, distributive justice, and all claims of just deserts—is fundamentally unfair and harmful and that its abolition will be liberating and beneficial. What we really want—natural human free will, moral judgments, meaningful human relationships, creative abilities—would survive and flourish without moral responsibility. In the course of his argument, Waller examines the origins of the basic belief in moral responsibility, proposes a naturalistic understanding of free will, offers a detailed argument against moral responsibility and critiques arguments in favor of it, gives a general account of what a world without moral responsibility would look like, and examines the social and psychological aspects of abolishing moral responsibility. Waller not only mounts a vigorous, and philosophically rigorous, attack on the moral responsibility system, but also celebrates the benefits that would result from its total abolition.

Moral Responsibility

Moral Responsibility
Title Moral Responsibility PDF eBook
Author Christopher Cowley
Publisher Routledge
Pages 256
Release 2014-10-20
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 131754711X

Download Moral Responsibility Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

How and to what degree are we responsible for our characters, our lives, our misfortunes, our relationships and our children? This question is at the heart of "Moral Responsibility". The book explores accusations and denials of moral responsibility for particular acts, responsibility for character, and the role of luck and fate in ethics. Moral responsibility as the grounds for a retributivist theory of punishment is examined, alongside discussions of forgiveness, parental responsibility, and responsibility before God. The book also discusses collective responsibility, bringing in notions of complicity and membership, and drawing on the seminal contemporary discussion of collective agency and responsibility: the Nuremberg trials.

Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts

Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts
Title Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts PDF eBook
Author Tracy Isaacs
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 217
Release 2011-09-01
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 0199783039

Download Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts is a philosophical investigation of the complex moral landscape we find in collective scenarios such as genocide, global warming, organizational negligence, and oppressive social practices. Tracy Isaacs argues that an accurate understanding of moral responsibility in collective contexts requires attention to responsibility at the individual and collective levels.

Perspectives on Moral Responsibility

Perspectives on Moral Responsibility
Title Perspectives on Moral Responsibility PDF eBook
Author John Martin Fischer
Publisher Cornell University Press
Pages 378
Release 2018-07-05
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 1501721569

Download Perspectives on Moral Responsibility Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Explores aspects of responsibility, including moral accountability; hierarchy, rationality, and the real self; and ethical responsibility and alternative possibilities.

Moral Responsibility

Moral Responsibility
Title Moral Responsibility PDF eBook
Author Matthew Talbert
Publisher John Wiley & Sons
Pages 192
Release 2016-01-21
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 1509505172

Download Moral Responsibility Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Most people would agree that a small child, or a cognitively impaired adult, is less responsible for their actions, good or bad, than an unimpaired adult. But how do we explain that difference, and how far can anyone be praised or blamed for what they have done? In this fascinating introduction, Matthew Talbert explores some of the key questions shaping current debates about moral responsibility, including: What is free will, and is it required for moral responsibility? Are we responsible for the unforeseen consequences of our actions? Is it fair to blame people for doing what they believe is right? And are psychopaths open to blame? As Talbert argues, we are morally responsible for our actions when they are related to us in particular ways: when our actions express our true selves, for example, or when we exercise certain kinds of control over them. It is because we bear these relationships to our actions that we are open to praise and blame. Moral Responsibility will be an important resource for students and researchers in ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of agency and of great interest to all those wishing to understand an important aspect of our moral practices.

Exploring the Illusion of Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Exploring the Illusion of Free Will and Moral Responsibility
Title Exploring the Illusion of Free Will and Moral Responsibility PDF eBook
Author Gregg D. Caruso
Publisher Lexington Books
Pages 335
Release 2013-07-05
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 073917732X

Download Exploring the Illusion of Free Will and Moral Responsibility Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Exploring the Illusion of Free Will and Moral Responsibility investigates the philosophical and scientific arguments for free will skepticism and their implications. Skepticism about free will and moral responsibility has been on the rise in recent years. In fact, a significant number of philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists now either doubt or outright deny the existence of free will and/or moral responsibility—and the list of prominent skeptics appears to grow by the day. Given the profound importance that the concepts of free will and moral responsibility hold in our lives—in understanding ourselves, society, and the law—it is important that we explore what is behind this new wave of skepticism. It is also important that we explore the potential consequences of skepticism for ourselves and society. Edited by Gregg D. Caruso, this collection of new essays brings together an internationally recognized line-up of contributors, most of whom hold skeptical positions of some sort, to display and explore the leading arguments for free will skepticism and to debate their implications.

The Moral Responsibility of Firms

The Moral Responsibility of Firms
Title The Moral Responsibility of Firms PDF eBook
Author Eric W. Orts
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 246
Release 2017
Genre Business & Economics
ISBN 0198738536

Download The Moral Responsibility of Firms Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book examines whether firms as organizations can be considered morally responsible for their actions. This question has profound practical implications as well as theoretical significance, not least when we are today so frequently confronted with misconduct in business.