Collectives’ and individuals’ obligations: a parity argument

Canadian Journal of Philosophy 46 (1):38-58 (2016)
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Abstract

Individuals have various kinds of obligations: keep promises, don’t cause harm, return benefits received from injustices, be partial to loved ones, help the needy and so on. How does this work for group agents? There are two questions here. The first is whether groups can bear the same kinds of obligations as individuals. The second is whether groups’ pro tanto obligations plug into what they all-things-considered ought to do to the same degree that individuals’ pro tanto obligations plug into what they all-things-considered ought to do. We argue for parity on both counts.

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Author Profiles

Holly Lawford-Smith
University of Melbourne
Stephanie Collins
Monash University

References found in this work

Group agency: the possibility, design, and status of corporate agents.Christian List & Philip Pettit - 2011 - New York: Oxford University Press. Edited by Philip Pettit.
Two treatises of government.John Locke - 1698 - New York: Cambridge University Press. Edited by Peter Laslett.
World Poverty and Human Rights.Thomas Pogge - 2002 - Ethics and International Affairs 19 (1):1-7.

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