Single Idea 23089

[catalogued under 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / g. Moral responsibility]

Full Idea

Agents who perform evil nonautonomously do not know what they are doing, because they have made a mistake in understanding or evaluating their own conduct.

Gist of Idea

Evil people may not be autonomously aware, if they misjudge the situation

Source

John Kekes (Against Liberalism [1997], 02.4)

Book Reference

Kekes,John: 'Against Liberalism' [Cornell 1997], p.33


A Reaction

So while liberals say that true evil must be autonomous, Kekes says it may result from factual or evaluative error, for which people are also responsible.

Related Idea

Idea 23087 Much human evil is not autonomous, so moral responsibility need not be autonomous [Kekes]