The W-defense

被引:7
作者
Capes, Justin A. [1 ]
机构
[1] Florida State Univ, Tallahassee, FL 32306 USA
关键词
Frankfurt; Alternative possibilities; W-defense; Moral responsibility; Blame; David Widerker; MORAL RESPONSIBILITY; ALTERNATIVE-POSSIBILITIES; FRANKFURT; PRINCIPLE;
D O I
10.1007/s11098-009-9397-3
中图分类号
B [哲学、宗教];
学科分类号
01 ; 0101 ;
摘要
There has been a great deal of critical discussion of Harry Frankfurt's argument against the Principle of Alternative Possibilities (PAP), almost all of which has focused on whether the Frankfurt-style examples, which are designed to be counterexamples to PAP, can be given a coherent formulation. Recently, however, David Widerker has argued that even if Frankfurt-style examples can be given a coherent formulation, there is reason to believe that an agent in those examples could never be morally blameworthy for what she has done. Therefore, such examples do not undermine a version of PAP restricted to blameworthiness. Widerker refers to his argument for this claim as the W-defense. I examine the W-defense in some detail, along with three recent replies to it by defenders of Frankfurt's argument. I contend that each of these replies is problematic and, indeed, that two of them play directly into the hands of those seeking to defend PAP. I then develop my own reply to the W-defense by calling into question an assumption which is at the heart of that argument regarding the nature of moral blame.
引用
收藏
页码:61 / 77
页数:17
相关论文
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