The Relationship Between Free will and Moral Responsibility

Papers should be 4-5 pages in length – double spaced, 12 point font (preferably Times New Roman), with 1 inch margins – on the following topic: Sometimes bad things happen as a result of a person’s action. Sometimes, we don’t think the person should be held responsible, while sometimes we think they should be held responsible. I want you to tell me about when we might be justified in holding someone responsible for their bad actions. For your papers, please do the following: To start, tell me about the sort of people we might want to hold responsible. Give me an example. What did they do? What were they thinking? What sort of situation were they in? Next, explain why we might want to hold people responsible for their bad actions? What motivates us as members of the moral community? Now tell me about whether we are ever justified in holding people responsible. Consider both sides – those who think we are justified in holding people responsible and those who think we are not. What sorts of worries do the two sides have? How might one group reply to the other? Then, explain what sorts of attitudes we’re entitled to take towards those we hold responsible. Make sure to explain the difference between objective and reactive attitudes in particular. What sorts of considerations force us to take one attitude rather than the other? Are we ever entitled to take one of these attitudes even when we are not justified in holding anyone responsible? Should we be taking any other attitudes? Finally, what view do you think is correct? Are we justified in holding the person in your example responsible for their bad actions? On what basis do you think this?