Moral Dilemmas, Collective Responsibility, and Moral Progress

Author: Marino P.

Source: Philosophical Studies, Volume 104, Number 2, May 2001 , pp. 203-225(23)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Ruth Marcus has offered an account of moral dilemmas in which the presence of dilemmas acts as a motivating force, pushing us to try to minimize predicaments of moral conflict. In this paper, I defend a Marcus-style account of dilemmas against two objections: first, that if dilemmas are real, we are forced to blame those who have done their best, and second, that in some cases, even a stripped down version of blame seems inappropriate. My account highlights the importance of collective responsibility in understanding dilemmas, and I suggest that it sheds light on understanding moral progress.

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A.

Publication date: 2001-05-01