George Berkeley’s Conception of Accountability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/RF.2018.041Keywords
George Berkeley, moral responsibility, moral philosophy, utilitarianism, basic desertAbstract
In the article, Berkeley’s views on accountability in Alciphron, dialogue seven, are analyzed. It is shown that Berkeley’s conception of accountability is developed as a response to an argument ascribed by Samuel Clarke to Anthony Collins. The features of Berkeley’s conception of accountability are examined. The author argues that this is a basic desert monistic theory. The concept of accountability is grounded in the group of ordinary notions: guilt and merit, praise and blame, applauding and condemnation. The internal deviation account of moral responsibility based on the Three Dialogues is developed and applied to Alciphron. Generally, this account claims that the presence of certain quality of will makes the agent an appropriate target for application of moral responsibility. Berkeley’s treatment of the control and epistemic conditions of moral responsibility is clarified.
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