Empathetic Blame: Moral Evaluation in the Face of Luck

Date
2020-05
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Rice University
Abstract

In this thesis I offer a new interpretation of blame and criticism rooted in P.F. Strawson's distinction between the subjective and objective points of view. In Part I, I use the problems presented by circumstantial moral luck to expose the inadequacy of standard intuitions about what's required to blame another. Proposed solutions to these issues, I argue, fall into the trap of viewing blame as the outgrowth of a metaphysical status instead of an action that cannot be detached from interpersonal relationships. In Part II I generate a novel interpretation based on the projects of Hume, Strawson, and Scanlon, which posits blame as an attitude forming out of self-reflection and empathy, and criticism as a belief forming out of comparison to a rigid standard. I then elaborate on the phenomenology of such a blame act and go over the consequences my interpretation would have, including a world with substantially less blaming that would eschew vague metaphysical questions and recognize the limitations of imposing moral standards on those who have faced different circumstances.

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Keywords
Moral Luck, Blame, Criticism, Control Principle, David Hume, P.F. Strawson, T.M. Scanlon, Susan Wolf, Standing to Blame
Citation

Tugendstein, Gabriel. "Empathetic Blame: Moral Evaluation in the Face of Luck." Undergraduate thesis, Rice University, 2020. https://doi.org/10.25611/3hyg-sz31.

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