Leonhard Menges

Leonhard MengesUniversity of Salzburg
11. November 2020   16.45 – 18.45h CEST   Virtual conference room
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Poster WKAP-Vortrag Leonhard Menges

Blame for Sceptics

Abstract: A significant problem for the discussion about whether some humans are blameworthy for their deeds is that it is unclear how to understand the notion of blame the discussion should be concerned with. Most accounts make it too plausible that some humans are blameworthy without dealing with skeptical arguments. Some accounts depict a practice that is not an essential part of our lives such that skepticism (the view that no human is blameworthy) looses much of its bite. This paper offers a new proposal. The basic idea is that the sense of blame skeptics should be skeptical about is constituted by responses that can violate the targets’ claims and by the responders’ thought that the targets have forfeited this claim because of what they did and how they were when they did it. This view identifies an important part of our everyday lives and has the potential to frame discussions about whether humans are blameworthy in a new and helpful way.