Responsibility | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Responsibility: German Perspectives

In the German philosophical tradition the concept of responsibility (Verantwortung) has been accorded special and extensive treatment, especially in relation to science and technology. The following introduction to this tradition begins with a description of responsibility as a relational construct and then distinguishes three basic levels of responsibility: action responsibility, role responsibility, and universal moral responsibility.

Basic Concept

The German word Verantwortung derives from the Middle High German and originally meant simply "to answer," probably in response to an accusative question such as "Did you do X?" The concept of responsibility is thus evaluative and attributive as well.....

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