Upload
horace-richardson
View
214
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
By: Ronald F. White, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy
College of Mount St. Joseph
Conceptual Framework
• Praise and Blame– Forward Looking (Teleological)– Backward Looking (Deontological)
• Legal Responsibility and Moral Responsibility
• Individual Responsibility
• Collective Responsibility
Individual Responsibility
• Responsible Persons– Rationality– Free Will
• Responsibility Limiting Conditions– Imperfect information– Imperfect Freedom
• Personal Coercion (Threats and Enticements)• Circumstantial Coercion
– Social Coercion– Biological Coercion
Collective Responsibility
• Groups as Voluntary Associations• Hierarchies
– Leaders and Followers• Information Flow-• Coercive Power-delegation of responsibility
• Responsibility Within Hierarchies– Information– Consent
• Coercive Force-– Threats and Freedom to Exit
• Shared Responsibility
CASES
• Jim Jones-– The People’s Temple Agricultural Project– Jonestown, Guyana– Mass Suicide: (Nov. 1978) 914 died: 638
adults and 276 children
• Enron Scandal- Corporate Culture
Federal Sentencing Guidelines 1991
• Assessing Legal Responsibility for Organizations– Individual Culpability– Corporate Culpability
• Organizational Structure can Cause Criminal Activity
• Diffusion of Responsibility in Organizations• Strengthen Internal Mechanisms to Prevent Criminal Activity by Agents and
Employees• Theories:
– Respondeat Superior Theory-any crime committed by an employee within an organization is the prganization’s responsibility. (even “rogue employees”)
– Model Penal Code Theory-direct participation, authorization, or tolerance of high officials.
– Corporate Character Theory-culpability based on corporate policies or customs cause agents or employees to violate the law on behalf of the corporation.
• Participation of HIGH Managerial Officials• Prior History• Obstruction of Justice and Cooperation with Authorities• Program to Prevent and Detect Violations of Law