Responsibility, character, and the emotions : new essays in moral psychology

This volume of original essays addresses a range of issues concerning the responsibility individuals have for their actions and for their characters. Among the central questions considered are: what scope is there for regarding a person as responsible for his character given genetic and environmental factors; does an account of responsiblity provide a legitimate basis for the retributive emotions; are we ever justified in feeling guilty for occurrences over which we have no control; does responsibility for the consequences of our acts require that they were intended or simply expected; and how have a number of influential previous philosophers, including Aristotle, Maimonides, and Spinoza, approached these questions? The essays that appear here are the result of an invitation from the editor to various distinguished authors soliciting original contributions on responsibility. Edited By Ferdinand Schoeman. Includes Index.