Transcript 09 Moral Accountability

09 Moral Accountability
Figures and tables
Moral agency, Moral Accountability, & Moral Standing
Moral
Agency?
Moral
Accountability?
Moral
Standing?
Agent
Decision
Results
2
Rewarding or blaming Amy
Investors
Board
CEO
VP
Amy
Contract
Factory owner New factory
Profit
O→
O→
→
→
→
O→
→
O→
$$$$$$$$$$
Investors
Board
CEO
VP
Amy
Contract
Owner
Shoddy
Disaster
O→
O→
→
→
→
O→
→
O→

Problem with causes as sufficient conditions
Joint production in the chemical factory
1 litre of chemical A + 1 litre of chemical B → 1 litre of product C + 1 litre of pollutant D
Threshold of harm = 20 litres of D.
Jack
A
Jill
B
A
B
Productivity per hour (litres)
9
1
1
Assume Jack and Jill each work a 10-hour day.
Self-sufficient production of pollutant D
9
Total self-sufficient production of pollutant D
18
Specialized production of chemicals A and B
90
0
0
Total joint production of pollutant D
90
9
9
90
4
Problem with necessary conditions
Causal chains
Investors
Board
CEO
VP
Amy
Contract
Owner
Shoddy
Disaster
O→
O→
→
→
→
O→
→
O→

Problem with causes as necessary conditions
Over-determination
Victim is shot by two robbers simultaneously.
Either shot is enough to kill victim.
Neither is necessary.
Therefore, neither robber causes death.
Problem with cause as a necessary part of a set of
jointly sufficient conditions
Committee decisions
A
yes
G
yes
B
yes
Motion passes by 5
votes to 2 votes.
F
yes
C
no
E
no
D
yes
7
Retrospective ethical approaches to
moral accountability
Ethical approach
Theory of accountability
Consequentialist
Hold someone accountable to prevent further harm
Principle-based
Motivation > examine what principle followed >
Keeping promises, respecting rights
Find cause and determine guilty intent
Retributive justice
Compensatory justice Find cause and determine fault
Virtue ethics
Accountable for character traits displayed
Care ethics
Accountable for the quality of relationships
8
Agent’s wrongful
decision
YES
Excusing
conditions
?
Not morally accountable
NO
NO
Causally
responsible
?
YES
Morally
accountable in
Retributive or
Compensatory
justice
YES
Bad
motivation
?
Morally
accountable in
Motivation-based
reasoning
NO
YES
Bad
character
?
NO
Not morally accountable
Morally
accountable in
Identity-based
reasoning
Moral standing
Theory
Identity-based
Virtue ethics
Ethics of care
Criterion of moral standing
Who has it?
Community membership and Fellow community members
community itself
Object of caring relationship Nearby human beings, companion
animals?
Motive or principle-based
Special rights
Actual formation of explicit
or implicit contracts
Will theory of rights
Ability to give informed
consent
Interest theory of rights Possession of crucial interests
Consequence-based
Egoism
Self
Experience
Sentience
utilitarianism
Preference
Ability to form preferences
utilitarianism
Informed preference Preferences sensitive to
utilitarianism
information
Economic utilitarianism Market participant
Designated competent adult
humans and other legal entities
Competent adult humans
All humans, complex animals
Self only
All humans, many animals
All humans, complex animals
Competent adult humans, very
complex animals
Compatriots
Focus on one special contract right
Shareholder view of moral standing
Owners
Decisionmaker
11
Focus on explicit and implicit contracts
Stakeholder view of moral standing
Owners
Local
community
Employees
Decisionmaker
Customers
Suppliers
12
Ethical pluralist perspective
Comprehensive view of moral standing
Owners
Self
Employees
Environment
Suppliers
Decisionmaker
Posterity
Customers
Global
community
Local
community