It Is Clear That the Concepts of Moral Responsibility and Freedom

question 9

Essay

It is clear that the concepts of moral responsibility and freedom are linked. Consider the following four cases:
A. Dave was having an affair with Todd's wife Ethel and wanted her husband out of the way. After weeks of planning and stalking Todd, Dave shot and killed him as Todd left the gym. ​
B. One night in a bar, Dave had way too much to drink. He got into a vicious argument with Todd, who was also drunk and verbally abusive. In a state of alcoholic rage, Dave went to his car, got a gun, and came back to shoot Todd. ​
C. Dave, a combat veteran, was suffering severe conditions of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Waking up from a blackout, he hallucinated that he was on the battlefield and that Todd was the enemy. Thinking he was acting in self-defense, he shot and killed Todd. ​
D.   Dave is kidnapped by terrorists and told that unless he cooperates with them in attacking and possibly killing innocent civilians, his family will be killed. ​
Now write an essay in which you imagine you are on a jury charged with assessing Dave's guilt or innocence in each case, where guilt implies being morally and legally responsible. Applying Aristotle's two criteria for free actions, how would you assess Dave's guilt or innocence in each case, and why? If more information is needed, what is that information, and would its provision help you decide the case? Can you think of any other cases that serve as interesting test applications of Aristotle's framework?   What general conclusions can you draw about the relationship between freedom and moral responsibility?

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Definitions:

Dependent Personality Disorder

A mental health condition characterized by an overreliance on others for emotional support and decision making.

Cognitive-Behaviorist

A practitioner of a psychological approach that addresses dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic process.

Upbringing

The care, teaching, and training provided to a child by parents or guardians from infancy through adulthood.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.