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Related Experiment Videos

Does ought imply can?

Miklos Kurthy1, Holly Lawford-Smith1, Paulo Sousa2

  • 1Department of Philosophy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|April 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Most people believe obligations require ability, but a recent study suggested otherwise. Our research challenges this, showing that obligation indeed depends on the ability to fulfill it.

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Moral Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • The principle "Ought Implies Can" posits that obligations necessitate the ability to fulfill them.
  • Recent research by Buckwalter and Turri challenges this principle, suggesting ordinary people reject it.
  • This challenges fundamental assumptions about moral obligations and folk psychology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the "Ought Implies Can" principle in light of Buckwalter and Turri's findings.
  • To identify potential design flaws in previous studies on obligation and ability.
  • To demonstrate that ordinary people's judgments of obligation are, in fact, contingent on ability.

Main Methods:

  • Critically analyzed the experimental design of Buckwalter and Turri's studies.
  • Conducted a series of new empirical studies with improved methodology.
  • Collected and analyzed participant judgments on obligation scenarios with varying ability levels.

Main Results:

  • Identified specific design problems in the prior research that may have skewed results.
  • Empirical data from the revised studies indicate a significant correlation between perceived obligation and ability.
  • Participants' judgments align with the "Ought Implies Can" principle when ability is properly controlled.

Conclusions:

  • Buckwalter and Turri's conclusions regarding the rejection of "Ought Implies Can" may not be robust.
  • The "Ought Implies Can" principle appears to hold in ordinary moral judgments.
  • Methodological improvements are crucial for accurately assessing folk intuitions about moral obligations and ability.

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