EPP and LEMM Interest Group Talk (Katia Vavova, Mount Holyoke)

The Ethics and Political Philosophy Interest Group and Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Mind Interest Group welcome Katia Vavova, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College.

Talk Title

Moral Responsibility without Blame

Abstract

Philosophical orthodoxy has it that if you’re morally responsible for some bad act, you’re blameworthy for it. On the strongest version of this view to blame you just is to hold you
responsible. I think this view is mistaken and leads us to misunderstand our agency and mistreat one another. I argue for an alternative view on which we can be morally responsible and yet not
blameworthy.

About the Ethics and Political Philosophy Group

The Ethics and Political Philosophy Group meets periodically throughout the year to discuss topics in value theory and related fields, including meta-ethics, normative ethics, applied ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, moral psychology, practical reason, agency, and identity.

About the Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Mind Research Group

One of five departmental research interest groups, the Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Mind Group undertakes research in philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, traditional and formal epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of language.