Moral Responsibility Flashcards
Causal Responsibility
Causal responsibility: someone, or something, was a part of the causal chain that led to the bad (or good) outcome.
Example: I flipped a light switch and the apartment above me blew up.
Moral Responsibility
Moral responsibility: someone, or something, deserves praise for some good outcome, or deserves blame for some bad outcome.
Forward Looking vs Backward Looking Responsibility
Forward- and backward-looking responsibility:
• Backward-looking: Some outcome has happened, and we can ask who is responsible
for it.
• Forward-looking: We want some outcome to come about in the future, or not to
come about in the future, and it is someone’s responsibility to make sure that that outcome either comes about or doesn’t come about
Positive vs Negative Responsibility
• Positive: Deserving of praise.
• Negative: Deserving of blame
Responsibility Gaps
The intuitive idea of a backwards-looking responsibility gap: something good or bad
happens, but there’s no one to praise or to blame.
Examples:
1) An autonomous machine brings about some good outcome, and no human agent is
praiseworthy.
– A danger here: there are fewer meaningful jobs available for humans.
2) • An autonomous machine brings about some bad outcome, and no one is blameworthy.
• The technology is not under anyone’s immediate control
– The technology will not function in a way where someone could predict the
outcome.
Filling Responsibility Gaps
Maybe people can voluntarily take responsibility. (No incentive)
Gaps are Good: (responsibility is a burden)
Hold autonomous machines responsible (why?)
Human machine teams (manger taking responsibility for the machines actions)
Omission
Morally responsible but not a usually responsible (didn’t perform action)
What conditions make someone morally responsible?
True Self (What did your True Self desire?)
Knowledge of Outcome
Desire for Outcome (mental)
Intention (actions/ premeditation)
Agency (Freely Undertaken)
