The Self-Effacing Functionality of Blame

Philosophical Studies 178 (4): 1361–1379. 2021. doi:10.1007/s11098-020-01479-y

Introduces the concept of “self-effacing functionality” to reconcile two opposing views on blame. While blame serves an important regulatory function, this very functionality requires that it be justified by non-instrumental moral reasons rather than by its functionality. This approach preserves the insights of instrumentalist accounts while vindicating the authority of our moral reasons for blame.

blame, moral psychology, ethics, functionality, normativity, justification

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