September 11, 2006
-
lines 1
It is important to know where the line is to be drawn between being the cause of an event and being to blame for an event. Easily we can determine that someone or something was part of the cause of an event and too easily we can jump to the conclusion that therefore that same person or thing is to blame for the event.
But to be at fault requires a higher standard than simple causation. Not only do you need to know that the cause did brought about the event, you also need to know that the could could have and should have done otherwise. Note that actually drops off unintelligent things altogether but still we sometimes blame them. I account that to our own irrationality. Only things that can make choices can be at fault. Only then can the much overused “accountability” concept be applied.
The nuance that makes this problem a hard one is the role of knowledge in the equation. Often we are willing to say that a person is to blame even if they didn’t know their actions would bring about an event. “You should have known” we say to them. Other times we are remarkably lenient with one another with regards to how much we are willing to go out of our way to find the tiniest uncertainty so that we can forgive one another for lack of knowedge. “You couldn’t have known”, we say to the people we want to absolve of guilt.
Exactly how much fore knowledge do you need to have in order to be
guilty for the consequences of your actions? We actually do draw the
line on occassion, but the lines that have been drawn are drawn in
different places in law and in politics and in the news media and in
the business world. Indeed, it isn’t even at all clear that there is
anything approaching any kind of concensus amongst the public either.
Everyone just kind of thinks they know exactly when someone is to blame
and when someone is not and we kinda assume that anyone who thinks
otherwise is just being deliberately obtuse. More often than not though
the difference of opinion derives precisely from differing opinions of
the role of knowledge in dividing causation from blame.I intend to examine this and other similar quandaries in depth in the future. This is a very important line that we all have to understand how to draw. So I want to develop as complete an understanding of the quandary as possible.
It is important for all of us to think deeply about the nature of this divide and try to determine exactly where we as a species want to draw the line.
