Date of Graduation
5-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Philosophy
Advisor/Mentor
Warren Herold
Committee Member
Eric Funkhouser
Second Committee Member
Richard Lee
Keywords
Philosophy, Religion, Theology
Abstract
In order to solve the apparent incompatibility between moral responsibility and determinism, it is necessary to understand moral responsibility in terms of the function it plays within moral systems, which is highly similar to the role played by laws within judicial systems. By showing that a conception of moral responsibility based upon desert is metaphysically untenable, a function-based conception will be showed to be much more likely. Furthermore, by considering why the desert-based conception has proven so resilient, insight into the moral responsibility/determinism debate may be possible. Lastly, this paper considers whether the problems with this conception can be solved, and if not, what kinds of problems would need to be avoided in considered alternate conceptions.
Citation
Edens, J. E. (2017). Determinism and the Role of Moral Responsibility. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1987