What Is Moral Ignorance?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Many instances of morally wrong behavior do not involve clear-eyed akrasia because the agent lacks a firm view about whether his behavior is wrong; such behavior involves

lack of true moral belief

– and hence, moral ignorance – without involv- ing moral false belief.

Does moral ignorance exculpate?

Gideon Rosen argues that moral ignorance can also exculpate: if one

does not believe that one’s action is wrong

, and one has not mismanaged one’s beliefs, then one is blameless for acting wrongly. On his view, many apparently blameworthy actions are blameless.

What does morally ignorant mean?

When we talk about moral ignorance excusing, what we really mean is that

moral mistakes might excuse

. If someone is extremely confident that X is wrong, but not quite confident enough to know it, few philosophers would say that mental state is exculpatory when X is done.

How do the kinds of ignorance affect responsibility?

Ignorance affects

obligation according to the Prospective View

, too; on this view, however, it is not one’s beliefs but one’s evidence that determines what one ought morally to do, and if one’s evidence parts company either with the relevant facts or with one’s beliefs about the facts, then, once again, so much the …

What is factual ignorance?

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge and information. … Ignorance can appear in three different types: factual ignorance (

absence of knowledge of some fact

), object ignorance (unacquaintance with some object), and technical ignorance (absence of knowledge of how to do something).

What are the three types of vincible ignorance?

  • invincible ignorance: lack of knowledge that a person has no way to obtain.
  • vincible ignorance: lack of knowledge that a rational person is capable of acquiring by making an effort.
  • nescience: lack of knowledge that doesn’t matter in the circumstances (from Latin ne-, “not” plus scire, “to know.”

What is concomitant ignorance?

thomas aquinas distinguishes three kinds of ignorance: concomitant, consequent, and antecedent (Summa theologiae, 1a2ae, 6.8). ( 1) Concomitant ignorance

does not necessarily render an act involuntary

, as in the case of a man who wants to kill his enemy and does kill him while mistakenly thinking he is shooting a bear.

What’s the meaning of exculpatory?

Exculpatory is the adjectival form of the verb exculpate, meaning

“to clear from guilt

.” The pair of words cannot be accused of being secretive-their joint etymology reveals all: they are tied to the Latin verb exculpatus, a word that combines the prefix ex-, meaning “out of” or “away from,” with the Latin noun culpa, …

What does moral exculpation mean?

: the

act or an instance of exculpating oneself

: the act or an instance of clearing oneself from alleged fault or guilt As always in these cases, the attempt at self-exculpation only makes the guilty party look even worse.—

Are we responsible for our ignorance?


You are morally responsible for your ignorance only if it derives

from a failure to do what is morally required of people like you in your circumstances. … But for all we have said, it may be that he has done everything that he was required to do, in which case his ignorance is non-culpable and he is off the hook.

What is moral responsibility?

In philosophy, moral responsibility is the

status of morally deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one’s moral obligations

. Deciding what (if anything) counts as “morally obligatory” is a principal concern of ethics.

Why man is morally culpable?

To be morally culpable,

a person also has to have had control over the situation in which the act was committed

. is blame involving the commission of a fault or the breach of a duty imposed by law.

What are the signs of ignorance?

  • Being Fake. One of the most common ways to fake intelligence is by trying to prove it.
  • They don’t think of the future.
  • Don’t apply their own principles.
  • There is no critical thinking.
  • They like dramatic events and relationships.
  • They listen less and speak more.
  • Envious of other people.

Is ignorant an insult?

Strictly speaking, ignorance, or being ignorant,

isn’t an insult

; it’s simply a lack of understanding. Geniuses are ignorant to all sorts of things, but these people are not stupid; instead, they are ignorant. This is an important distinction to make.

What do you call an ignorant person?

Some common synonyms of ignorant are

illiterate

, unlearned, unlettered, and untutored.

What are the two kinds of ignorance?

The first category is when we do not know we are ignorant. This is

primary ignorance

. The second category is when we recognize our ignorance. This is called recognized ignorance.

Kim Nguyen
Author
Kim Nguyen
Kim Nguyen is a fitness expert and personal trainer with over 15 years of experience in the industry. She is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and has trained a variety of clients, from professional athletes to everyday fitness enthusiasts. Kim is passionate about helping people achieve their fitness goals and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle.