Reactive Attitudes and Volitional Necessity

Journal of Value Inquiry 48 (4):677-689 (2014)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In this paper I argue that Harry Frankfurt's work (both on volitional necessity and on Descartes) can help us to understand the argument that is at the heart of P. F. Strawson's classic article, "Freedom and Resentment". Strawson seems to say that it is both idle and irrelevant to ask whether the participant attitude (the framework within which we see others as morally responsible agents) is justified, but many have been puzzled by these remarks. In this paper I contend that we can better understand Strawson's argument by taking him to be saying that the participant attitude is volitionally necessary.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Skepticism, Question Begging, and Burden Shifting.Paul K. Moser - 2000 - The Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy 5:209-217.
On the Possibility of Skeptical Scenarios.Peter Kung - 2009 - European Journal of Philosophy 19 (3):387-407.
Dissolving reactive attitudes: Forgiving and Understanding.Lucy Allais - 2008 - South African Journal of Philosophy 27 (3):197-201.
Two skeptical arguments or only one?Kevin McCain - 2013 - Philosophical Studies 164 (2):289-300.
Moral skepticism.David Copp - 1991 - Philosophical Studies 62 (3):203 - 233.
Love as a reactive emotion.Kate Abramson & Adam Leite - 2011 - Philosophical Quarterly 61 (245):673-699.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-10-05

Downloads
63 (#231,470)

6 months
5 (#246,492)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Neal Tognazzini
Western Washington University

References found in this work

Freedom and Resentment.Peter Strawson - 1962 - Proceedings of the British Academy 48:187-211.
Freedom and Resentment.Peter Strawson - 2003 - In Gary Watson (ed.), Free Will. Oxford University Press.
The Faintest Passion.Harry Frankfurt - 1992 - Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 66 (3):5-16.

View all 8 references / Add more references