2011British Academy eBooksRequires access

Moral responsibility and the concept of agency

Helen Steward

Open publisher page 4 citations

Abstract

This chapter argues for the incompatibility of moral responsibility and determinism. The real reason why determinism and moral responsibility are inconsistent is not moral, but metaphysical. The real reason is that determinism is inconsistent with agency, which is a necessary (though not, of course, a sufficient) condition of moral responsibility.

About this research paper

What this paper is about

This chapter argues for the incompatibility of moral responsibility and determinism. The real reason why determinism and moral responsibility are inconsistent is not moral, but metaphysical. The real reason is that determinism is inconsistent with agency, which is a necessary (though not, of course, a sufficient) condition of moral responsibility.

Why it matters

OpenAlex reports 4 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

This chapter argues for the incompatibility of moral responsibility and determinism. The real reason why determinism and moral responsibility are inconsistent is not moral, but metaphysical. The real reason is that determinism is inconsistent with agency, which is a necessary (though not, of course, a sufficient) condition of moral responsibility.

Key concepts: Determinism, Moral responsibility, Moral agency, Agency (philosophy), Incompatibilism, Free will, Metaphysics, Compatibilism

Related papers

Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
Moral responsibility and the concept of agency — Research Paper | ScholarLens