Lecture 3, 2008
“Inadvertence and Responsibility”
Harry G. Frankfurt
Princeton University
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Abstract
Against the view of certain philosophers, such as Thomas Nagel, I defend
the common sense belief that people are not morally responsible for what
they do or bring about inadvertently. I consider what response we might
reasonably expect from a person who inadvertently does or brings about
some event or condition that is manifestly undesirable or bad; and I
suggest that we might reasonably expect such a person not to feel guilty
but, rather, to feel embarrassed by his or her inability to prevent or
avoid that condition or event.
Preferred citation
Frankfurt, Harry G. “Inadvertence and Responsibility.” The
Amherst Lecture in Philosophy 3 (2008): 1–15.
<http://www.amherstlecture.org/frankfurt2008/>.
