Factors Limiting Moral Responsibility
There are three factors that can limit moral responsibility: lack of knowledge, lack of freedom, and lack of approval.
Lack of Knowledge
- This can take two forms. Through no fault of our own, we might be ignorant of certain key aspects of a situation. For example, a man might pay for his groceries with a counterfeit bill, not knowing that it is fake. We might also make a decision not knowing the decision is unethical. A young child, for example, might take a candy bar from the checkout line at a grocery store. We can say that neither the man paying for groceries nor the child stealing makes an unethical decision due to their lack of knowledge of the situation.
Lack of Freedom
- A lack of freedom can occur from both factors internal and external to the self. A man driving a car with faulty breaks accidentally hits someone. Had the car been in working order, the accident could have been avoided. Now let's say the same man is driving under the influence, in a perfectly working car, and hits someone. Both cases show a lack of freedom of the man, but the resulting consequences are quite different. Other examples of a lack of freedom include: physical or psychological threats of violence, alcohol and drugs, and addiction.
Lack of Approval
- A lack of approval often occurs when a complex situation arises that needs a snap decision. The lack of time to properly go over all the possible implications of a decision can lead to a decision that would not have been made had there been proper time to analyze the situation.
Assuming we have not deliberately allowed ourselves to remain ignorant, powerless, or indifferent, we have complete moral responsibility for what we do with adequate knowledge, freedom, and approval.
