Reflecting on Moral Accountability: Philosophical Arguments

Explaining Moral Responsibility

This assignment gives you an opportunity to reflect on the practice of moral accountability and to begin to engage with philosophical arguments about the meaning of this practice. The question Your submission should follow the paragraph structure below. This is ‘scaffolding’ to help you construct your assignment. Marks will also be awarded per paragraph as described. Paragraph 1 In your own words, explain what it means for one person to hold another person ‘morally responsible’ for some past action (or omission). : Awarded based on your ability to synthesise the key observations and distinctions covered in lecture 2 in your own words. Paragraph 2 How people hold each other accountable for their behaviour differs across contexts and cultures. Describe how people in your (i) family, (ii) culture, or (iii) social network (pick one) hold each other accountable to norms and expectations. What is typically said or done when someone does something that is unacceptable? How is the person expected to respond when held to account? How do these patterns differ based on the age, gender, social status of the people involved? Please tell us about some of the distinctive or unusual features of the culture you are describing as well as about features that might be common to many other contexts and cultures. : Awarded based on providing relevant illustrations that demonstrate an understanding of what moral accountability is and how it works in practice. Paragraph 3 According to ‘forward looking’ accounts of moral responsibility, the purpose of practices of moral accountability is to provide incentives and disincentives so that we are motivated to act in socially acceptable ways (See Talbert, “Moral responsibility” Sec. 2.1 (Links to an external site.).) Reflecting on the practices of moral accountability you described in paragraph 2, do you think this is a satisfactory account of the purpose of moral accountability? Why or why not?  Awarded based on (i) articulating relevant reasons or supplying relevant evidence in support of, or critical of, the account; and (ii) illustrating your argument with reference to the practices and experiences described in paragraph 2. Paragraph 4 According to Peter Strawson’s account of moral responsibility, the purpose of practices of moral accountability is to demand due regard and moral respect from others (see Talbert, “Moral responsibility” Sec. 2.2 (Links to an external site.)). Reflecting on the practices of moral accountability you described in paragraph 2, do you think this account is superior to the ‘forward looking’ accounts of moral responsibility? Why or why not? : Awarded based on (i) articulating relevant reasons or supplying relevant evidence in support of, or critical of, the account; and (ii) illustrating your argument with reference to the practices and experiences described in paragraph . Please record the word count in your submission. Referencing For this assignment, we are not concerned with referencing; the focus is solely on the ideas and arguments. However, if you do include quotations, please include a footnote with details of the source. Footnotes should be used only for references, not for additional writing. Footnotes should not be included in the word count. Submission Please submit your assignment via this assignment page. It is not necessary to submit a hardcopy.