The contribution of Nicomachean ethics iii5 to Aristotle's theory of responsibility

Abstract

This paper develops a radical reinterpretation of the argument in Nicomachean Ethics iii 5 concerning responsibility for character. I argue that what is at stake is the new standard of liability Aristotle is introducing there, the so-called "negligence" standard, and that the scope of the discussion is limited to the class of agents who are negligent through an inability to take care. Thus, I argue, there is no claim being made that in general responsibility for acts requires responsibility for character.