Sarah Felson L&S Arts & Humanities
Responsibility for Nonvoluntary Mental States
This project explores and develops upon the contemporary literature in moral philosophy to investigate whether and how we should be held morally responsible for our nonvoluntary mental states, such as our beliefs, attitudes, and judgments of the world. There is a common intuition that our actions are only available for moral assessment insofar as they are voluntary. For example, I would undoubtedly be blameworthy for tripping a passerby if I voluntarily stick out my leg, but not if my leg jerks out due to a sudden muscle cramp. However, unlike our actions, our mental states are often not voluntary; e.g., we cannot make ourselves genuinely believe something just by choosing to believe it. In my research, I will first investigate how one may be responsible for mental states, given their nonvoluntary nature. Then, I will analyze what responsibility for mental states suggests for the appropriateness of moral responses such as praise and blame. Overall, I aim to develop the contemporary discourse regarding the social and normative importance of holding one another responsible for nonvoluntary mental states.
Message To Sponsor
I am extraordinarily grateful to Leadership for providing me with this opportunity for intellectual and philosophical exploration. My SURF experience has been a gratifying and fulfilling challenge that has undeniably stretched my intellectual capacities and opened my eyes to the intricacies of philosophical research. With the research I conducted over the summer, I am beginning to write my honors thesis—an endeavor that I feel confident in pursuing largely thanks to the experience and support I gained through the SURF program. My time as a SURF Fellow has ignited within me an unshakable passion for academic research, and I am profoundly grateful for the resources and support provided to me by Leadership and the SURF program.