MODULE 5: MODIFIERS OF RESPONSIBILITY
FIVE MODIFIERS OF RESPONSIBILITY
1. IGNORANCE- affecting the knowledge
2. STRONG EMOTION- affecting the consent of evil
3. INTELLECTUAL FEAR- opposing to the will of
contrary wish
4. FORCE- actual use of physical compulsion
5. HABIT- a tendency acquired by repetition
IGNORANCE
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The lack of knowledge affects the voluntariness of a
human act so as to make the act less human.
The only ignorance that has ethical import is
ignorance an agent ought not to have, an ignorance
ought not to exist
THREE KINDS OF IGNORANCE
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By willing to remain in ignorance, the person is
responsible for the consequences.
 The blameworthiness of vincible ignorance
depends on the amount of effort put forth to
overcome it.
3. AFFECTED IGNORANCE
 In a way lessens, in a way increases responsibility
 The ignorance, deliberately cultivated, increases
the responsibility if the person intend to use
ignorance as an excuse
 It lessens, for example, to lessen the risk of
punishment or to avoid having to carry out a
known duty.
STRONG EMOTION
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1. VINCIBLE IGNORANCE- can be overcome by
acquiring the requisite knowledge
2. INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE- cannot be overcome
because the requisite knowledge cannot be
acquired.
3. AFFECTED/STUDIED IGNORANCE- deliberately
cultivated in order to avoid knowing what ought
to be known
1. INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE
 Precludes responsibility
 The knowledge is simply unobtainable. Two
reasons are being aware and unaware of his/her
ignorance.
 Since in either case the knowledge is
unobtainable and no one can be held to the
impossible, what is done is invincible ignorance
is not voluntary, and so the agent is not
responsible.
2. VINCIBLE IGNORANCE
 Does not preclude responsibility but lessens it
 The person knows that he/she is ignorant and
that the knowledge is obtainable
 If a person deliberately fails to make sufficient
effort to overcome the ignorance, and so allows
the ignorance to remain, the effort that follows
from such ignorance are indirectly voluntary.
Strong emotion increases the force of the willed act,
but the degree such emotion lessens voluntariness
it also lessens responsibility, and so that act is to
that degree less a human act.
Strong Emotion, (a) if prior to the act, is called
antecedent and may preclude responsibility by
making deliberation and therefore voluntariness
impossible; usually such emotions lessens
responsibility; (b) if generated after and as a result
of our own deliberate choice is called consequence
and does not lessen responsibility but may increase
it.
FEAR
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Intellectual Fear
Consisting of an understanding of a threatened evil
and a movement of the will to avoid this evil by
rationally devised means.
Affects voluntariness only when it is the motive for
acting and does not preclude responsibility lessens
it because of the contrary wish mingled with our
actual will
The aim of fear is to protect the self from
anticipated evil.
It is intellectual fear only when we act from fear as a
motive for acting and not merely with fear as
accompaniment of our act.