A World without Moral Responsibility
A World without Moral Responsibility
This chapter concentrates on the fear of the unknown as the main deterrent to contemplating the abolition of moral responsibility. For a very long time, man has been invariably attached to the system of moral responsibility that they have developed a fear of a world existing without the practices and institutions of moral responsibility. In discussing these fears, this chapter hopes to alleviate them and show that it is possible to conceive of a world without moral responsibility. In many respects, such a world would not be so different; certainly not as disastrously different as many have supposed. It is still possible to make free choices, moral judgments, and sincere apologies; also, self-respect and sense of individual worth could still be retained in such a world. Smilansky, on the other hand, argues otherwise, claiming that man could not be worthy of self-respect if they were not the center of the universe or if they ceased to be special beings.
Keywords: fear of the unknown, abolition of moral responsibility, system of moral responsibility, free choices, moral judgments, sincere apologies, self-respect, individual worth, Smilansky
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