Marley Lyster
PHIL 1000
Assignment 2
Prompt 2
Susan Wolf’s compatibilist predisposition evaluates moral responsibility with her “Deep Self View.” Not only does she argue that events can be fully fixed and determined and one can have some freedom in action, but also that the agent only has moral responsibility in these actions if they are in control of their deepest desires (Wolf, 460). After presenting this view, Wolf uses her example of JoJo to demonstrate a hole in her own Deep Self View that can be patched by the addition of a sanity clause (Wolf, 462). Should her compatibilist view be accepted, the sanity clause does justly remedy the blatant weakness JoJo reveals in her Deep Self View to resolve her argument’s inadequacy.
Wolf’s argument …show more content…
According to the M’Naughten Rule, a person can be deemed sane if he “knows what he is doing” and “he knows what he is doing, as the case may be, right or wrong” (Wolf, 463). While JoJo did know what he was doing when he imitated his father’s violent acts, JoJo was never given the education that random killing and torture is wrong and thus, he fails to meet the sanity requirement of determining right from wrong. The inclusion of this clause does sufficiently complete Wolf’s Deep Self View. In other many other conceived scenarios, intuition agrees with the “Sane Deep Self View” in awarding moral responsibility. Even in extreme cases, like neuroscientists manipulating the agent’s deepest desires, the agent would not fit Wolf’s sanity requirement in that he does not know what he is …show more content…
Some may object that JoJo could reason out that random killing and torture is wrong and in not reasoning so, he is morally responsible. However, JoJo’s inability to do so demonstrates that he does not know right from wrong due to his warped upbringing. If JoJo was able to reason out that his crimes were wrong, he would meet the sanity requirement of knowing right from wrong and, as intuition suggests, would be held morally responsible according to the Sane Deep Self View. Others may object that the Sane Deep Self View “lets criminals off the hook.” While Wolf’s view of moral responsibility is lenient towards criminals with benign deep desires and those who are insane, these are the people with the capacity to change and learn that their actions are wrong without an innate desire to continue committing
PHIL 1000
Assignment 2
Prompt 2
Susan Wolf’s compatibilist predisposition evaluates moral responsibility with her “Deep Self View.” Not only does she argue that events can be fully fixed and determined and one can have some freedom in action, but also that the agent only has moral responsibility in these actions if they are in control of their deepest desires (Wolf, 460). After presenting this view, Wolf uses her example of JoJo to demonstrate a hole in her own Deep Self View that can be patched by the addition of a sanity clause (Wolf, 462). Should her compatibilist view be accepted, the sanity clause does justly remedy the blatant weakness JoJo reveals in her Deep Self View to resolve her argument’s inadequacy.
Wolf’s argument …show more content…
According to the M’Naughten Rule, a person can be deemed sane if he “knows what he is doing” and “he knows what he is doing, as the case may be, right or wrong” (Wolf, 463). While JoJo did know what he was doing when he imitated his father’s violent acts, JoJo was never given the education that random killing and torture is wrong and thus, he fails to meet the sanity requirement of determining right from wrong. The inclusion of this clause does sufficiently complete Wolf’s Deep Self View. In other many other conceived scenarios, intuition agrees with the “Sane Deep Self View” in awarding moral responsibility. Even in extreme cases, like neuroscientists manipulating the agent’s deepest desires, the agent would not fit Wolf’s sanity requirement in that he does not know what he is …show more content…
Some may object that JoJo could reason out that random killing and torture is wrong and in not reasoning so, he is morally responsible. However, JoJo’s inability to do so demonstrates that he does not know right from wrong due to his warped upbringing. If JoJo was able to reason out that his crimes were wrong, he would meet the sanity requirement of knowing right from wrong and, as intuition suggests, would be held morally responsible according to the Sane Deep Self View. Others may object that the Sane Deep Self View “lets criminals off the hook.” While Wolf’s view of moral responsibility is lenient towards criminals with benign deep desires and those who are insane, these are the people with the capacity to change and learn that their actions are wrong without an innate desire to continue committing