ALTERNATE POSSIBILITIES AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

ALTERNATE POSSIBILITIES AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

| DONALD A. WELLS
The chapter discusses the principle of alternate possibilities, which posits that a person is morally responsible for their actions only if they could have done otherwise. The author, Harry G. Frankfurt, argues that this principle is false and misleading. He illustrates this through various scenarios, including situations where a person is coerced or influenced by external forces, but still acts based on their own decisions or motivations. Frankfurt emphasizes that moral responsibility is not determined by the inability to avoid an action, but by the role of those circumstances in bringing about the action. He concludes that the principle should be revised to state that a person is not morally responsible if they acted only because they could not have done otherwise, rather than if they could have but chose not to. This revised principle does not conflict with the idea that moral responsibility can coexist with determinism.The chapter discusses the principle of alternate possibilities, which posits that a person is morally responsible for their actions only if they could have done otherwise. The author, Harry G. Frankfurt, argues that this principle is false and misleading. He illustrates this through various scenarios, including situations where a person is coerced or influenced by external forces, but still acts based on their own decisions or motivations. Frankfurt emphasizes that moral responsibility is not determined by the inability to avoid an action, but by the role of those circumstances in bringing about the action. He concludes that the principle should be revised to state that a person is not morally responsible if they acted only because they could not have done otherwise, rather than if they could have but chose not to. This revised principle does not conflict with the idea that moral responsibility can coexist with determinism.
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[slides and audio] Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility