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Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

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Responsibility, Free Will, and the Concept of Basic Desert.

Leonhard Menges¹

¹Department of Philosophy (GW), Salzburg University, Kapitelgasse 4-6, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Philosophical Studies

|February 23, 2023

Summary

This study defines basically deserved blame, a key concept in free will and responsibility. It proposes that blame implies forfeiture of claims against being blamed and provides reasons for blame, offering a new perspective on skepticism.

Keywords:

Basic desert Free will Responsibility Skepticism about responsibility

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Area of Science:

Philosophy of Mind
Ethics
Metaphysics

Background:

Philosophers often link free will and responsibility to 'basically deserved blame'.
The precise nature of this 'basic desert' appraisal remains debated.
Existing theories struggle to adequately define the conditions for basic desert claims.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify the specific appraisal involved in basic desert claims.
To evaluate current theories of desert appraisals against key desiderata.
To propose and defend a novel account of basic desert.

Main Methods:

Analysis of philosophical concepts related to free will and responsibility.
Critique of existing theories based on three proposed desiderata.
Development and defense of a new theoretical framework for basic desert.

Main Results:

Recent theories of desert appraisals fail to meet essential criteria.
Basic desert claims entail that individuals forfeit their right not to be blamed.
Basic desert claims also entail that there are positive reasons to blame the individual.

Conclusions:

The proposed account offers a robust framework for understanding basic desert.
This view reframes the debate surrounding skepticism about free will and responsibility.
It provides a clearer understanding of the conditions under which blame is fundamentally deserved.