This chapter examines individual moral responsibility for collective harm, specifically in the context of climate change, arguing that individuals bear moral responsibility for contributing to such harm, implying that we should refrain from activities such as driving cars and consuming meat. The argument is developed in two parts: by demonstrating that the moral wrongness of actions contributing to collective harm increases in proportion to the scale and severity of that harm, and by exploring the type of responsibility we can assign to individuals in response to this wrongness. Through this exploration, I critically examine the limitations of an individual-based framework and argue that it fails to capture the interconnected nature of actions leading to collective harm. Subsequently, I emphasize the systemic interdependence of contributors, illustrating that we are part of a shared system, in which our actions collectively contribute to harm. From this perspective, I introduce the concept of non-agential shared responsibility, providing a framework for understanding individual responsibility within the broader context of collective harm such as climate change. Lastly, I argue that, to fully support and enrich this responsibility, we must revise our daily moral codes to align with the notion of global citizenship, recognizing that our interconnectedness and systemic interdependence extend beyond individual levels to a global scale, and across generations.

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Shared Responsibility in Climate Change: Reassessing Individual Moral Responsibility Within Collective Harm

  • Kanako Takae

摘要

This chapter examines individual moral responsibility for collective harm, specifically in the context of climate change, arguing that individuals bear moral responsibility for contributing to such harm, implying that we should refrain from activities such as driving cars and consuming meat. The argument is developed in two parts: by demonstrating that the moral wrongness of actions contributing to collective harm increases in proportion to the scale and severity of that harm, and by exploring the type of responsibility we can assign to individuals in response to this wrongness. Through this exploration, I critically examine the limitations of an individual-based framework and argue that it fails to capture the interconnected nature of actions leading to collective harm. Subsequently, I emphasize the systemic interdependence of contributors, illustrating that we are part of a shared system, in which our actions collectively contribute to harm. From this perspective, I introduce the concept of non-agential shared responsibility, providing a framework for understanding individual responsibility within the broader context of collective harm such as climate change. Lastly, I argue that, to fully support and enrich this responsibility, we must revise our daily moral codes to align with the notion of global citizenship, recognizing that our interconnectedness and systemic interdependence extend beyond individual levels to a global scale, and across generations.