Moral Agency

Abstract

Abstract The phrase “moral agency” is a term of art, but it designates an utterly familiar concept – the concept of an individual who can, to a significant extent, act effectively and competently in moral matters. This concept shows up in a variety of practical contexts. It is at issue when we worry about the criminal responsibility of 12‐year‐olds, or of psychotically deluded lawbreakers. From a different angle, it figures in our thoughts about whether to comply with the wishes of depressed hospital patients to discontinue life‐support. These contexts exhibit different features of the concept. Moral agents are bothautonomous(in other words, self‐determining or self‐governing;seeAutonomy) andaccountable.

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