A Philosophical investigation concerning the attribution of responsibility on the basis of the analysis of the concept of causation: In the light of problems on causation by absence

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00008
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
• Research Institution: Musashino University
• Principal Investigator: ICHINOSE Masaki 武蔵野大学, 人間科学部, 教授 (20232407)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 責任帰属 / 不在因果 / 過失 / 信念の倫理 / W.K. クリフォード / 風評

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project aims to clarify the problem of attribution of responsibilty by applying philosophical theories of causation. This is motivated by our academic intention to focus on such a trgedy that some ungrounded and unclear claims tend to be spread in the time of disasters and pandemics to result in secondary harms, and investigate the tragetic issues by elucidating causal structures of such secondary harms. Following the academic intention, we understood the issues as being caused by a kind of negligence to confirm evidence or ground, that is to say, a kind of "causation by absence". In particular, we developed our arguments on the tragretic issues in terms of referring to "the ethics of belief" that was originally discussed by a British philosopher, W.K. Clifford in the 19th century.

Free Research Field

哲学・倫理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

加害と被害の構図は、現代社会においては、刑法や民法によって判定される。けれども、SNSが普及し、一人の人の発言が瞬時に多くの人々に伝わる時代には、これまで想定されていなかったような加害と被害の様態が現出してきた。とりわけ、SNSやネットを通じた誹謗中傷や風評による加害と被害については、現代社会の中での早急な対応策が求められている喫緊の課題である。当研究課題は、こうした問題に対して、哲学での因果論、とりわけ「不在因果」をめぐる議論を適用することで、一定の理論的筋道を与えようとした。道半ばではあるが、議論の方向性を示すことはできたと思われる。