Responsibility and False Beliefs1
This chapter addresses the question of how false or incomplete beliefs affect agent-responsibility for outcomes. For simplicity, the agent is assumed not to be responsible for her false beliefs. One possible effect of false beliefs is that some outcomes will be unforeseen. It is generally recognized that agents are not responsible for unforeseen impacts and this chapter assumes that this is correct. A second possible effect of false beliefs is that the agent will falsely imagine there to be certain impacts. It is argued (with some qualifications) that imaginary impacts are excusing conditions that reduce or eliminate responsibility for outcomes but can never enhance responsibility for outcomes.
Keywords: responsibility, false belief, incomplete belief, outcome, excuse
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