A moral agent is “ a being who is capable of acting with reference to right and wrong .” ... Moral agents can act wrongly or rightly in ways that affect moral patients, but moral patients cannot act reciprocally toward moral agents.
What is a moral agent according to Kant?
Kant conceived of the “moral agent” (or “rational agent”) as a person possessed of free will, or, more precisely, a person who is able to make their own decisions . ... In Kant’s moral philosophy, this law is known as the Categorical Imperative, an unconditional law that shapes rationality.
What is a moral agent according to Kant quizlet?
Moral Agent: a being that can reason about morality . Moral Patient: a being that can be morally. considered. All moral agents are moral patients, but not all moral patients are moral agents.
Who is considered a moral agent?
A moral agent is any person or collective entity with the capacity to exercise moral agency . It is suggested that rational thought and deliberation are prerequisite skills for any agent. In this way, moral agents can discern between right and wrong and be held accountable for the consequences of their actions.
What is moral agent example?
Moral agents are those agents expected to meet the demands of morality . Not all agents are moral agents. Young children and animals, being capable of performing actions, may be agents in the way that stones, plants and cars are not.
What is the difference between moral agents and moral patients quizlet?
Moral agents are capable of the distinction between good and bad whereas moral patients are not capable . ... “In contrast to moral agents, moral patients lack the prerequisites that would enable them to control their own behavior in ways that would make them morally accountable for what they do.
What is the difference between being a moral agent and being a moral patient?
Moral patients are things towards which moral agents can have moral responsibilities . ... Only moral agents can function as the bearers of moral obligations towards others, while moral patients can be the objects of the moral obligations of others, but need not themselves be capable of moral agency.
Who can be called a moral agent and why?
A moral agent is a person who has the ability to discern right from wrong and to be held accountable for his or her own actions . Moral agents have a moral responsibility not to cause unjustified harm. Traditionally, moral agency is assigned only to those who can be held responsible for their actions.
What are artificial moral agents?
This paper defines an AMA as follows: an AMA is a virtual agent (software) or physical agent (robot) capable of engaging in moral behavior or at least of avoiding immoral behavior . This moral behavior may be based on ethical theories such as teleological ethics, deontology, and virtue ethics, but not necessarily.
What is Kant’s universal law?
Kant calls this the formula of universal law. ... The formula of universal law therefore says that you should should only act for those reasons which have the following characteristic : you can act for that reason while at the same time willing that it be a universal law that everyone adopt that reason for acting.
Why humans are the only moral agents?
Only Human Beings Can Act Morally . ... This is considered to be important because beings that can act morally are required to sacrifice their interests for the sake of others. It follows that those that do sacrifice their good for the sake of others are owed greater concern from those that benefit from such sacrifices.
Are humans moral agents?
It makes sense to hold them morally responsible for their intentional actions. Ordinarily, human beings are considered moral agents and moral persons . Nonhuman animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, and fish, are commonly held not to be moral agents and not moral persons.
Are states moral agents?
According to the agential theory, states can be held responsible because they are moral agents , much like human beings. According to the functional theory, states can be held responsible because they are legal persons that act vicariously through individuals, much like principals who act through agents.
What is moral duty?
A moral duty is an obligation based on morality or ethics . ... In other words, moral duty has no relation to the law. If someone does not perform these duties, they cannot be punished by the law. Moral duties depend mainly on a person’s conscience.
What is moral standard?
Moral standards are those concerned with or relating to human behaviour , especially the distinction between good and bad behaviour. Moral standards involves the rules people have about the kinds of actions they believe are morally right and wrong.
Are animals moral agents?
Since many other animals are moral agents (to varying degrees), they are also subject to (limited) moral obligations, examples of which are provided in this paper. But, while moral agency is sufficient for significant moral status, it is by no means necessary.
