PHIL 347 Exam 2 Complete Questions With
100% Verified Answers Graded A+
The Naive View
Having a mental disorder itself implies something about one's freedom and moral responsibility
The Nuanced View
There is no general relationship between moral responsibility and psychopathology
Moral Responsibility
The philosophical term of art used to describe when it is appropriate to hold someone accountable
for something morally significant that they've done
Usually, this is tied to blaming someone when they do something wrong or bad and praising someone
when they do something right or good
Typically, we must assume that a person is morally responsible if punishing them is to be justified
M'Naughten Rule (1843)
A person should be considered "insane" in the legal context if it can be clearly proved that, at the time
of committing the act, the person's mental disorder caused them to not know what they were doing
or, if they did know what they were doing, to not know that what they were doing was wrong.
Why hold the naive view? (reason 1)
Mental disorders are pathological, so actions influenced by them are also pathological and
disordered. We shouldn't be held responsible for such actions.
May's response: not all actions resulting from pathological conditions are completely beyond a
person's control
Why hold the naive view? (reason 2)
We cannot be responsible for actions resulting from psychiatric disorders because we are not
ultimately responsible for acquiring the disorder in the first place.
May's response: this view overgeneralizes to ordinary actions that have nothing to do with mental
disorder -- it would result in no one being responsible for anything
Why hold the naive view? (reason 3)
Mental disorders involve irresistible impulses, delusions, etc., that prevent proper control over one's
conduct
May's response: this is the strongest reason to favor the naive view. Whether it succeeds hinges on
whether all mental disorders genuinely impair a person's agency
Implication of the nuanced view
We ought to evaluate responsibility on a case-by-case basis, not based on categories of mental
disorders
Why favor the nuanced view? (reason 1)
Symptoms associated with mental disorders can actually increase a persons agency or responsibility
, Why favor the nuanced view? (reason 2)
Although symptoms of mental disorders can diminish agency, they only do in some contexts and do
so in varying degrees
Numerical Identity
What properties make a person continue to exist over time
One view: psychological continuity
Another view: same biological organism
Practical Identity
Practical identity, also referred to as moral or social identity, relates to the roles, responsibilities, and
values that individuals adopt in various social contexts.
Narrative Identity
How we define ourselves through self-narratives
Human Enhancement
It refers to the use of biotechnology (e.g., drugs, implants, genetic manipulation) to improve human
performance
Therapy vs Enhancement
Therapy tends to correct biological deficiencies or restore functionality that was lost
Human enhancement seeks to boost human performance beyond our normal capacities
Moral Terms
Impermissible: wrong and should not be done
Permissible: morally okay but not morally required
Obligatory: Morally required and should be done
supererogatory: morally good to do but not required and implies you go beyond what is just morally
permissible
Consequentialism in Supporting Human Enhancement
Consequentialist arguments are the main support for human enhancement.
Increased welfare: people will be better off if they have higher subjective well-being, are smarter, are
physically stronger, etc.
Increased autonomy: Enhancement will give people a wider range of things that they can do
Julian Savulescu's Argument
He thinks parents are obligated to enhance their children if doing so would improve their quality of
life. Multiple authors have argued that moral enhancement would be obligatory if it were safe and
effective
Opposing Human Enhancement
-Widespread use of enhancement could increase inequality
100% Verified Answers Graded A+
The Naive View
Having a mental disorder itself implies something about one's freedom and moral responsibility
The Nuanced View
There is no general relationship between moral responsibility and psychopathology
Moral Responsibility
The philosophical term of art used to describe when it is appropriate to hold someone accountable
for something morally significant that they've done
Usually, this is tied to blaming someone when they do something wrong or bad and praising someone
when they do something right or good
Typically, we must assume that a person is morally responsible if punishing them is to be justified
M'Naughten Rule (1843)
A person should be considered "insane" in the legal context if it can be clearly proved that, at the time
of committing the act, the person's mental disorder caused them to not know what they were doing
or, if they did know what they were doing, to not know that what they were doing was wrong.
Why hold the naive view? (reason 1)
Mental disorders are pathological, so actions influenced by them are also pathological and
disordered. We shouldn't be held responsible for such actions.
May's response: not all actions resulting from pathological conditions are completely beyond a
person's control
Why hold the naive view? (reason 2)
We cannot be responsible for actions resulting from psychiatric disorders because we are not
ultimately responsible for acquiring the disorder in the first place.
May's response: this view overgeneralizes to ordinary actions that have nothing to do with mental
disorder -- it would result in no one being responsible for anything
Why hold the naive view? (reason 3)
Mental disorders involve irresistible impulses, delusions, etc., that prevent proper control over one's
conduct
May's response: this is the strongest reason to favor the naive view. Whether it succeeds hinges on
whether all mental disorders genuinely impair a person's agency
Implication of the nuanced view
We ought to evaluate responsibility on a case-by-case basis, not based on categories of mental
disorders
Why favor the nuanced view? (reason 1)
Symptoms associated with mental disorders can actually increase a persons agency or responsibility
, Why favor the nuanced view? (reason 2)
Although symptoms of mental disorders can diminish agency, they only do in some contexts and do
so in varying degrees
Numerical Identity
What properties make a person continue to exist over time
One view: psychological continuity
Another view: same biological organism
Practical Identity
Practical identity, also referred to as moral or social identity, relates to the roles, responsibilities, and
values that individuals adopt in various social contexts.
Narrative Identity
How we define ourselves through self-narratives
Human Enhancement
It refers to the use of biotechnology (e.g., drugs, implants, genetic manipulation) to improve human
performance
Therapy vs Enhancement
Therapy tends to correct biological deficiencies or restore functionality that was lost
Human enhancement seeks to boost human performance beyond our normal capacities
Moral Terms
Impermissible: wrong and should not be done
Permissible: morally okay but not morally required
Obligatory: Morally required and should be done
supererogatory: morally good to do but not required and implies you go beyond what is just morally
permissible
Consequentialism in Supporting Human Enhancement
Consequentialist arguments are the main support for human enhancement.
Increased welfare: people will be better off if they have higher subjective well-being, are smarter, are
physically stronger, etc.
Increased autonomy: Enhancement will give people a wider range of things that they can do
Julian Savulescu's Argument
He thinks parents are obligated to enhance their children if doing so would improve their quality of
life. Multiple authors have argued that moral enhancement would be obligatory if it were safe and
effective
Opposing Human Enhancement
-Widespread use of enhancement could increase inequality
