Aristotle's Theory of Responsibility in the light of Contemporary Theories of Moral Responsibility

在什么情况下，一个人要对她的行为负责？这个问题自古以来就被广泛讨论。在亚里士多德的伦理著作中，我们发现了对这场旷日持久和持续的争论的实质性贡献。我的研究项目的目标是(1)系统地重建亚里士多德的责任理论和他的一般行动理论，(2)通过将其应用于有问题的行动案例和其他主题，如性格或情感的案例来分析它。定义：责任论是一种关于代理人在道德上对她的行为及其后果(可能还有她的性格)负责的条件的理论。方法：虽然亚里士多德在他的伦理学中没有提出明确的责任理论，但我认为，从他关于责任实践的零散言论中提取一个连贯而复杂的理论是可能的。我的方法是首先通过现代责任理论发展的叙述和概念来重建亚里士多德鲜有阐述的理论。其次，对他的隐含责任论的分析也需要反思其历史背景。古典希腊法律及其在雅典法庭上的应用，由不同的演说家(例如安提丰或利西亚斯)记录下来，似乎构成了亚里士多德的一个重要来源。此外，亚里士多德认为悲剧中的行为(例如《索福克勒斯：俄狄浦斯·泰兰诺斯》)在责任问题上具有重要意义。论文和结果：亚里士多德关于责任实践的评论，例如赞扬或指责人们的行为，是原创的，也是有洞察力的。他的描述被证明对当代关于责任以及决定论和自由意志的兼容性的讨论非常有启发性，因为他提供了一种在不引入(自由)意志的概念的情况下对待人类行为和道德责任的描述。因此，该项目的成果不仅具有哲学意义，而且具有历史意义。就历史而言，详细而全面地分析亚里士多德的责任观和他的行动理论将会带来重大的启示，因为亚里士多德提供了一种哲学概念化，有助于明确他那个时代的责任条件和追究代理人责任的公共话语。关于系统的问题，亚里士多德的立场被证明是非常有启发性和启发性的，因此它也可以为当代关于责任以及决定论和自由意志的兼容性的讨论提供一个新的视角。

What are the conditions under which a person is responsible for her actions? This question has been discussed intensively since antiquity. In the Aristotelian ethical writings, we find substantial contributions to this long-lasting and ongoing controversy. The goal of my research project is (1) to reconstruct systematically the theory of responsibility of Aristotle and his theory of action in general and (2) to analyze it by applying it to problematic cases of actions and to other subject such as that of character or of the emotions. Definition: A theory of responsibility is a theory of the conditions under which an agent is morally responsible for her actions, its consequences (and possibly also for her character). Approach: Although Aristotle does not present an explicit theory of responsibility in his ethics, I argue that it is possible to extract a coherent and complex theory out of his scattered remarks on the practice of responsibility. My approach is first to reconstruct the scarcely elaborated theory of Aristotle by means of accounts and concepts developed by modern theories of responsibility. Second, an analysis of his implicit theory of responsibility needs also to reflect on its historical context. Classical Greek law and its application in Athenian courts, documented by different orators (e.g. Antiphon or Lysias), seem to form an important source for Aristotle. Furthermore, Aristotle treats actions in tragedy (e.g. Sophocles: Oedipus Tyrannus) as significant when it comes to problems of responsibility. Thesis and results: The remarks that Aristotle makes on the practice of responsibility, e.g. praising or blaming persons for their actions, are original and insightful. His account proves to be very illuminating for contemporary discussions of responsibility as well as that of the compatibility of determinism and free will, because he offers an account that treats human actions and moral responsibility without introducing the concept of a (free) will. The results of the project will therefore be not only of philosophical but also of historical interest. As far as history is concerned, a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the Aristotelian views on responsibility and his theory of action will shed significant light, because Aristotle offers a philosophical conceptualization that helps make explicit both the conditions of responsibility of his time and of the public discourse of holding an agent responsible. With respect to systematic questions, the Aristotelian position proves to be highly instructive and illuminating so that it can also provide a new perspective for contemporary discussions of responsibility and of the compatibility of determinism and free will.